Where on Earth is Lauren Ridgemount?
by Freedom Fighter
Summary: Lo falls instantly in love with a guy just because he can whisk her away from a working life, and then he actually does! But the others don't exactly think the guy's intentions are on the up and up. Final chapter is up: "City of Love? City of Finit!"
1. Pick Up the Package

**"Where on Earth is Lauren Ridgemount?"**  
**Story Written by Freedom Fighter**

So this is actually my third fanfic involving 'Stoked' characters and the second that takes place in the 'Stoked' universe, but this is the first that does not crossover with any other shows. Sort of...

This requires a little background, so if you really just want get to the story, skip down a few paragraphs to the continuity notes.

The idea of writing a story starring Lo came about after I fell in love with her (not in the literal way, FYI) while I was writing "Fresh from Canada." I just thought there's so much I can do with her, a character who got kicked out of the penthouse by her mogul father so she could learn that everything in life won't be handed to you on a silver platter... and as a result, having to experience 'life on the other side.' But you know, it's tough to break away from being pampered all of her life.

Case in point, this story, which makes her long for her old life more than ever.

Meanwhile, in thinking of a story idea, I suddenly remembered that there was a 'Kim Possible' one I had a few years back that never got off of the ground (in other words, never made it to the writing stage). It was essentially a team-up/crossover with 'James Bond.' That's as far as it got, I think, because I couldn't think of an actual plot to put them in... and this was also around the time KP was ending for the second and final time, and my interest in the show was already waning.

So this story is basically me putting Lo in the place of Kim Possible, only now with an actual plot to make the story a reality. Oh, and replacing Bond himself with a facsimile British spy. One, because I wanted an exclusive 'Stoked' universe story, and two, so I wouldn't completely be bound to the typical Bond-isms... not that this story won't have any at all.

There's one other element to this story that revolves around the rest of the 'Stoked' cast... but I can't reveal it, for it ruins the first chapter's cliffhanger. Just read through to find out what it is.

**In terms of continuity, this takes place:**  
- At some undefined point of time between Episodes 25 & 26.  
- So based on that point, this takes place after "I Want That Surfing Lesson," though you don't need to have read that to enjoy this.  
- Separate from my reality series fic, "Fresh from Canada." The events of it, including a certain relationship involving Lo, aren't canon.

**Disclaimer:** The characters of 'Stoked' belong to Fresh TV, Inc., Teletoon, and Cartoon Network.

**-**  
**Chapter One - Pick Up the Package (09.15.10)**  
**-**

"Have a great day!"

Emma, standing in front of the hostess desk in the DR, waved goodbye as another group of satisfied diners departed after a fulfilling lunch. She then went back behind it and started to rearrange menus.

The next time she looked up, she was staring Lo in the face.

"Eek!" screamed Emma, jumping back in fright.

"Emma!" Lo shouted, oblivious to the fact that she had just scared her friend. "I desperately need your help!"

"With what?" the waitress asked, regaining her composure.

"What do you mean 'with what?' Just **LOOK** at me!"

Emma stepped out from behind the desk to get a good look. Lo's hair was a mess, she had wrinkles under her eyes, toilet water was dripping from the fingers on her right hand, the nail on her left middle finger was chipped, and there were assorted stains all over her maid uniform.

"I know," Emma rolled her eyes after completing her analysis. "Guests are total slobs. Fin tells me that all the time."

"You call these people guests?" Lo shouted, enraged. "I've seen things that no human in their right mind should leave behind!"

Emma winced the moment her brain tried to form a mental image of the things Lo suggested.

"I shouldn't even be cleaning up after these... these... **OOH!** I can't even think of a word to describe them!"

"Lo..." Emma interjected, trying to calm her friend down.

"I should be spending my summer catching rays, checking out hotties, surfing the waves, and living it up in the penthouse! But instead, I'm inside on a beautiful day, doing grunt work that should only be done by slaves and no-talent nobodies!"

"Hey!"

"I'm sorry, Emma... no, wait, I'm not sorry! I've been working my tail off for weeks, and Daddy still hasn't allowed me to go back up to the penthouse! Haven't I shown enough responsibility? I've been a waitress, a brat-sitter, and now... **THIS!** I'm a maid. A maid!"

Emma started dancing around, as she had suddenly been hit by the call of nature.

"Are you paying attention to me?" questioned Lo as she saw Emma hopping about.

"Have... to... go..."

"Oh," Lo crossed her arms over her chest, "so you don't want to listen to me anymore?"

"Of... course... not..."

"Then why are you..."

"I'm not!" Emma tried to reassure her, before a feeling washed over her that she couldn't wait any longer. "Gotta-go-watch-the-desk-for-me!"

Emma didn't wait for a 'yes' or 'no,' as she took off, bolting out of the DR and for the lobby restroom.

"Wait a..." Lo raised a hand in protest, before realizing it was too late.

Lo grumbled as she took Emma's place behind the hostess desk. She leaned forward and rested her chin on the palms of her hands. But then she quickly retracted when she felt the remnants of the toilet water on her right fingertips tap against her cheeks.

"Ack, gross!" she stuck her tongue out in disgust.

She attempted to wipe her hand clean by using her soiled apron, but thought better of it as she saw a small roll of paper towels on the shelf below the desktop, and grabbed that instead.

She took the time to delicately dry off her fingers, one at a time, using exactly one whole sheet of paper towel per cuticle, until she was sure that they were completely clean. She tossed what remained of the roll aside and then spotted a small bottle of hand sanitizer out of the corner of her eye.

She grabbed the sanitizer bottle and squeezed out a healthy portion of gel and started rubbing it all over her hands. Again, once confident it had been spread evenly, she then worked it into her skin a finger at a time.

"Icky icky icky icky..." she mumbled under her breath, trying to deeply scrub away the germs.

"Excuse me?"

Lo continued to sanitize her fingers, not hearing the sound of someone trying to get her attention.

"Excuse me?"

More sanitizing, more ignoring.

"Ahem," the male voice said, coughing, "excuse me?"

Finally hearing the third time, yet upset about interrupted, Lo stopped what she was doing and looked up to angrily answer.

But her rage was sedated when she took a gander at the face the voice belonged to.

"Humina humina..."

The first thing Lo noticed were the well-chiseled features of his face. His eyes were just the right distance apart. His nose was big and strong, but not too big to be unsightly. His lips were pressed together to form a smile, one that Lo couldn't take her eyes off of, but she had to just to take stock of the rest of him.

She saw his broad, manly shoulders, which she wished were bare so that she could reach out and touch them with her own two hands. But she didn't mind them being covered up by the tuxedo he was wearing, which fit him really well and showed off his toned figure. As well as signify that he was a snappy dresser. To top it all off, she spotted and admired the Rolex on his left wrist, his freshly shined black dress shoes, his suavely-combed black hair, and the pair of pants that hugged his pelvis tightly.

"Marry me!" Lo blurted out.

"What?"

"I mean," she redirected, "welcome to the DR! Seating for how many?"

Lo fumbled for a menu, and it fell out of her hand and towards the floor. The young man caught it before it hit the ground, giving Lo a brief view of his backside. He then stood back up and grinned as he held the menu in his left hand, and Lo quickly wiped the sly grin off of her face before he could see it.

Though not quick enough, apparently, as a smirk formed on the young man's face.

"Just one, but... I wouldn't mind having some company..."

Lo blushed as the guy flirted openly with her.

"Sure!"

"But first, where are my manners?" the man said. "My name's Ford. Jack Ford."

"I'm Lo. It's short for Lauren."

"Ah... so you're the daughter of the famed Ridgemount family I've heard so much about. And I must say... you're much prettier in person."

Lo giggled at the compliment.

"You look like you've had a rough day. Maybe we should continue this conversation after we've been seated."

"Go right on ahead," Lo said, pointing to a nearby clean table. "I just want to freshen up a bit."

Jack nodded. Once he started walking towards a table and had his back turned to her, Lo bolted out of the DR and headed for the restroom. Halfway there, she came across Emma, on her way back. Without missing a step, Lo grabbed Emma by the arm and pulled her in the opposite direction.

"What the... Lo!"

"Girl talk!"

* * *

Lo pushed Emma into the ladies' lobby restroom, then followed her in and locked the door behind her.

"So what's so urgent that you had to..."

"I saw a cute guy!" Lo cut her off.

"Hello! You see cute guys pretty much every weekend."

"This is different! I think this one's the one!"

Emma sighed as Lo turned to the mirror and started combing her hair with her hands.

"Haven't you said that before, only for him to either dump you or you dump him before the end of the day?"

"This one's different!"

"How?"

* * *

A minute later, Emma and Lo were back in the DR, squeezing both of their bodies behind the opposite side of the hostess' desk. They were peering around it, into the dining area, where they saw Jack sitting patiently at a table, waiting to be served.

"He's different because he's wearing a tuxedo?"

"It's not just the tux," Lo responded. "It's the entire package! A-grade hottie, from head to toe!"

"I dunno," Emma hesitated to agree, "something doesn't seem right about him."

"He does look a few years older than I'd prefer, but I actually think that's a plus."

"That's actually not what I was thinking..."

Emma stopped when she noticed Lo had already left her side and was already approaching the table. Seeing her coming, Jack got up out of his seat.

"Allow me."

Jack walked over to the opposite seat and pulled it out.

"Oh... thank you!"

Lo giggled again as she took a seat. Jack then gently pushed her in, and then went to take his own seat across the table from her.

"My parents always told me to treat a lovely lady with respect," Jack said, explaining his actions.

"Your 'rents taught you well."

"So tell me more about yourself, Lauren. Like... why is someone like you toiling about like a common housekeeper?"

"How did you know I was a maid?"

"If I had to guess," Jack smirked as he eyed Lo's uniform, "the garish uniform would be a good starting point..."

"You noticed how horrible it is too, huh?"

"**RIDGEMOUNT!**"

Lo winced. She knew that voice. One she dreaded hearing. More than her father. More than Bummer. In fact, more than both of them combined, and then some. The person who yelled her name could only belong to one wench.

Kelly.

"Are you slacking off again?" Kelly said as she came to the table and leaned forward to glare directly into her eyes. "Does your supervisor know about this? Or your dad? Maybe I should call them both!"

"Don't you have anything better to do than nag me?" Lo shot back.

Emma, seeing Kelly and Lo getting confrontational, ran over from the hostess' stand to intervene.

"I'm sorry for the wait," Emma apologized, stopping Kelly from answering Lo's question. "Can I take your order?"

Emma flashed a cheesy smile Kelly's way, and that was just enough for the head waitress to decide to give up antagonizing Lo... for now. Kelly walked away, off to find something to do 'other than nag,' and Emma breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ungrateful pri..."

Emma coughed, cutting off Lo. But it was too late, as Kelly turned her head around, apparently not happy with Lo's mumblings. Kelly marched back over.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," Lo meekly replied, slinking down in her seat.

"That's what I thought."

Kelly left again, and this time Lo was smart enough to not open her mouth to say anything.

"Quite the witch, isn't she?" commented Jack.

"You should see her when she's in a bad mood," Lo said in response.

"Two of your finest and freshest lobsters," Jack said to Emma, handing her the one menu he had. "And I mean the best... spare no expense!"

"Yes, sir!" Emma nodded, taking the menu.

Emma started heading for the kitchen, but not before whispering something in her friend's ear.

"I want to know everything!"

"Full dish, promise!"

Once Emma was gone, Jack and Lo were left alone to chat.

"So... where were we?"

* * *

That night, at the groms' quarters...

"So he's been to Paris, Madrid, Sydney, L.A., and Rio, all in the past month!"

Lo was retelling the details of her lunch with Jack to Emma, Fin, Reef, and Broseph as they all sat at their dining room table.

"Dude gets around," commented Broseph.

"He must be loaded!" concluded Reef. "Must come from a rich family."

"Nope," Lo shot his theory down. "He's just part of a multi-million dollar business that has him pitching new products around the globe on a daily basis."

"Must get a lot of perks, if you know what I mean."

"This guy's cute and all," Emma cut in, "but are you sure you're into him?"

"I'm with Alberta," piped in Fin. "A long-distance relationship with a man, in his early 20s, whom you just met a couple hours ago?"

"Actually, I..."

"Fin just doesn't believe in dream guys," Reef argued against Fin, cutting Emma off in the process. "As if some guy would take one look at Droopy over here and fall in love at first sight."

"Says the guy who gets rejected by an average of five dream girls a day," retorted Fin.

"Ha ha," Reef rolled his eyes.

"Jack's a great guy!" Lo stood up for her new man. "In fact, we're so in love that he's actually asked me out on a date tomorrow night! I can't wait!"

"Okay," Fin said to her, "just try not to move too quickly. The guy may be trying to pull a fast one on you."

"I'm an expert on relationships," Lo reassured Fin and everyone else. "There's no way he's going to take advantage of me."

* * *

The next afternoon, in the staff locker room after another busy day...

"He's doing **WHAT**?"

Fin and Emma looked dumbfounded about what Lo had just told them that they had to ask her to repeat it to make sure they had heard her right.

"He's taking me to New York for dinner!"

"New York?" Fin looked at Lo. "As in, on the other side of the continent? And... tonight?"

Lo nodded happily.

"He's got a private jet sitting at the airport. We're leaving right after I get a few things from my room!"

With that, Lo bolted out of room.

"You might be on to something," Fin told Emma.

"See? Something about this guy's definitely off!"

"I think we'd better stop this. You go stop Lo, and I'll try to find this guy."

* * *

"I'm sorry, Fin," Johnny said as he entered Jack's name into the computer again, "but there's no one by that name registered as a guest."

"How can that be? Hmmm... he must be using an alias."

"An alias? What's going on?"

"Didn't the guys tell you about this older guy Lo met yesterday?"

"Yeah, but why do you think..."

"For their first official date, he wants to fly her to New York. In his private jet. Like, now!"

"Seriously?"

"Wait!" Fin suddenly realized. "Did anyone check out unexpectedly in the past few hours?"

"There was this one guy not too long ago..."

Johnny pulled up the departure list as fast as he could.

"A-ha! 509. Now that I think of it, he did resemble the guy Reef told me about. He was listed under the name... James Bond?"

Fin looked at Johnny in disbelief.

"Really? You didn't think that name was fake?"

"A real person could have that name! It's just a coincidence!"

Rosie suddenly walked up and handed a cell phone to Johnny. It was in a small plastic bag with '509' written on it in marker.

"This is why I hate businessmen," she commented. "They're so forgettable."

As Rosie walked away, Fin snatched the bag from Johnny and started to open it.

"You can't do that!" objected Johnny. "Tampering with guests' belongings is...

"A fire-able offense, I know!" Fin shouted, knowing she was risking her job as she took the phone out of the bag. "Look!"

Fin showed Johnny the phone's display screen, which had the words '1 new message.' Fin accessed the message, and she read it aloud.

"'Splendid work, oh-six-seven. Three-two-one will be waiting for you and the package upon arrival.'"

"The package?" Johnny thought out loud. "You don't think..."

"Lo! I'll call Kahuna to arrange a ride to the airport..."

"And I'll phone the tower. Maybe we can stop their jet from taking off."

* * *

A short time later, The Kahuna was driving the Whale Bus towards the only airport on Sunset Island. Fin, Johnny, Emma, Reef, and Broseph were all aboard, hoping to save their friend before it was too late.

"Any luck?" Fin asked, seeing Emma on her phone.

"No!" she replied as Johnny looked over her shoulder. "I've tried calling her five times, and she's not answering!"

"This is bad," Johnny said aloud.

"If you knew he was bad news," Reef said to Emma, "then why didn't you speak up?"

"I tried, but no one listened to me!"

"Airport, ho!" Kahuna interrupted, pointing out the windshield.

* * *

The groms searched the airport terminal for any signs of Jack or Lo, but their efforts were in vain.

"I swear I called ahead and told them to keep an eye out," Johnny told them.

"Then they should be here somewhere!" reasoned Emma.

The Kahuna, having walked off to talk to the airport's flight marshal, returned to the group.

"Dudes, they held all flights, but they haven't seen anyone matching the descriptions of the gromette or her high-flying date."

"That doesn't make any sense!" Fin exclaimed.

Emma tried to call Lo's cell yet again. A few seconds later, she heard her phone ringing. In fact, they all could hear it ringing.

"Uh..." Fin looked at Emma, "I'll take it that you're **NOT** on speaker?"

Emma shook her head. The Kahuna walked towards the terminal entrance, following the sound. The others followed as he led them outside. Just a few feet outside the door, the ringing got louder and louder, reaching its peak as they came upon a trash can. Reef and Fin pulled the lid off and Broseph reached in.

A second later, Broseph pulled out Lo's purple phone, which at that moment stopped ringing as it redirected Emma's call to voicemail.

"Oh no!" Emma shouted with a sense of dread.

The group then looked up, hearing the sound of a small plane flying overhead. They don't know where it had come from, other than it wasn't from the airport itself. They saw it was climbing higher and higher as it headed away from the island and them, flying eastward.

"Dude," Broseph suddenly spoke up. "I think we just got wooled."

"Wooled?" Emma asked, unfamiliar with the word.

"He means bamboozled," Fin told her.

Emma nodded, and the group just stood there silently, all contemplating what to do next.

"So..." Johnny said after a few seconds, "who wants to tell her father that his only daughter just got kidnapped, and we couldn't do a thing to stop it?"

The group shared a collective gulp.

"My thoughts exactly."

**To be continued...**

**Author's Notes:**  
And so a 'Stoked' character begins her own world tour... though she doesn't quite know that yet.

I apologize if I kinda rushed into Lo falling in love with Jack at such a hastened pace, but I was determined to set up the story and already have the pair leaving Sunset Island by chapter's end. You may have also noticed I downplayed the spy angle. I just didn't think that was something that had to be obvious at the start. Especially since Lo's not gonna know that for the first chapter, at least.

The next question, of course, is now that they couldn't stop Lo from being 'kidnapped,' what will the rest of the group do? And how will Lo react when she learns her new boyfriend was attracted to her for reasons other than love at first sight?

Stay tuned to find out!


	2. This Wasn't a Date, Was It?

**"Where on Earth is Lauren Ridgemount?"**  
**Story Written by Freedom Fighter**

Okay, so after more than a month, here's the second chapter! I hope writing the third chapter won't take as long.

That being said, due to lack of interest, I am aiming to shorten this story a lot more than originally planned. By how much, I'm not sure yet, but this will probably top out at four or five chapters total.

**Disclaimer:** The characters of 'Stoked' belong to Fresh TV, Inc., Teletoon, and Cartoon Network.

**-**  
**Chapter Two - This Wasn't a Date, Was It? (10.28.10)**  
**-**

The sun was already starting to set as the private jet being piloted by Jack landed at one of the smaller runways at JFK International Airport. Ten minutes later he was out of the plane, as was his passenger, Lo, as a couple private contractors were towing the jet to a nearby hanger.

"Thank you, my good man," Jack said as he paid one of the contractors a fee for the service.

"Wow!" gasped Lo. "You have your own private hanger here?"

"No, but I made them **THINK** I do. Knowing the right people can have its advantages, my dear."

"I know what you mean. Daddy gets them all the time."

* * *

The two of them walked over to the gates denoting the entrance to the hangars behind the airport, with Jack walking behind Lo and covering her eyes, with her willingly playing along.

"Okay," Lo giggled, "where are you taking me?"

"That's a surprise, my dear!"

He led her over to the parking lot, where, in an open section all by itself, was a silver Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren.

"But first things first..."

Jack removed his hands, and Lo squealed in delight upon seeing Jack's car.

"**EEEE!** Your car! It's..."

"Provided to me by the company. No use being the best if you can't flaunt it, you know."

"Well... that's my kind of company! Maybe I should think about having Daddy invest in it..."

Jack led Lo over to the passenger side of the car, and opened the door for her. Once he was sure she was comfortably seated, he closed the door and made his way over to the driver's side.

As he slid in, he already had his keys in, ready to place them in the ignition slot. Seconds later, the engine roared to life. Jack then proceeded to drive out of the lot and onto the street.

"So..." Lo began, "this company of yours. What would you say if I could get my dad to invest in some stock?"

"Stock?"

"Yeah! He's a mogul in the resort industry. He could drum up some business for you. And in return, all your company would have to do is promise to recommend our hotel to your friends and family."

"Well..." Jack hesitated.

"It's a great deal, trust me! Plus, you've seen our resort first-hand! You know how fab it is! The partnership would be **SO** worth it! And, who knows? Maybe I could convince him to swing you a deal..."

"That's nice, but..."

"What?" Lo eyed him. "What's wrong?"

"Well, we're a private company. We don't trade stocks."

"Oh."

Lo looked a little bummed out by the revelation, so Jack quickly tried to cheer her back up.

"But... I'm sure if I talk to my superiors, we could find some other way to get your dad to invest in the company. If he's that interested."

"You could do that?"

Lo's face brightened up.

"Sure! Anything for my little buttercup!"

"Aww," cooed Lo. "You're so sweet!"

"In fact, let me ask them right now."

Lo clapped with glee as Jack made sure he had one wheel on steering wheel as he patted his tuxedo pockets, looking for his cell phone with his free hand. But it only took him a few seconds to realize the obvious...

"My cell phone! I don't... have it!"

"What?"

"I... I must've left it back at the hotel, hours ago!"

"It's back at the resort? Don't worry!"

Lo unzipped the opening into her mini-purse, and was about to ruffle through its contents to find her cell phone.

"I'll just call Fin. She's in housekeeping too. I'm sure she'd tell me if..."

Lo's left hand was already in the mini-purse when Jack reached over and grabbed it by the wrist.

"If your friend has it, then I'm sure it's fine."

Lo quickly agreed and slowly pulled her hand back out, just as Jack released his grip on her wrist.

"You're probably right. It's probably lying safely on the desk in your room."

"Yeah," Jack agreed, chuckling lightly. "That's where I left it."

They sat quietly for a few seconds. Then, out of the blue...

"I think we'd better pull over for a second..."

* * *

Jack pulled into the parking lot of a convenience store and put his vehicle in park. He then hopped out and ran over to the pay phone, while Lo waited patiently in the car.

"Where have you been?" an irate voice asked him from the other end of the line.

"That doesn't matter," responded Jack. "I think we have a more pressing problem.

"No duh!" the male exclaimed. "Just when I was beginning to believe you were beginning to turn the corner. Then you go and lose your phone, oh-six-seven!"

"Oh, don't act like you've never forgotten yours ever, three-two-one!"

"Well, yeah, but not while on a job! Do you know someone tried to use your phone to call the organization already?"

"They must've found it already," deduced Jack. "But, don't worry! They're just kids. Even if they knew where the package and I were, there's no way they could follow us without help."

* * *

On a commercial airliner, somewhere above Calgary...

"Bummer and Mr. Ridgemount took the news a little better than I thought they would," Johnny noted aloud.

"I'll say," added Emma, sitting to his left, in a window seat. "Oh, I hope Lo's alright..."

"She better be!" Fin exclaimed, sitting across the aisle, "because if she's not..."

Fin clenched her left fist in anger, signifying her intent to slug Jack the next time she saw him. She then turned around, hoping to get a matching affirmative from Reef. But he was too busy trying to stick straws in Broseph's nose without waking him from his slumber.

"Will you knock it off?" she scolded, grabbing one from Reef's hand.

"Hey! Do you mind?"

"Ugh!" she threw her hands up in frustration. "Why do I even bother with you?"

"Because you can't get enough of the Reefster!"

Fin crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes.

"As if!"

Johnny and Emma made some observations as Reef and Fin started a small argument between the two of them.

"They're **SO** right for each other," cooed Emma.

"Yeah. If I didn't know any better, they act like a married couple."

"Speaking of couples," Johnny changed the subject, as he began to stare into Emma's beautiful, blue eyes.

Suddenly, Johnny's gaze was interrupted by the voice of the captain coming out over the PA system.

"Attention, passengers, but if you look out your window, you can see the lovely city of Calgary below!"

Emma squealed as she turned around and glanced out the window, as Johnny sighed after fate had denied him another lost opportunity.

"I wonder if I can see my house from up here?" she asked aloud, to no one in particular.

* * *

"Okay," Jack said as he was being relayed directions. "I should be there in 20 minutes."

He then hung up and made his way back to his car.

"What was that all about?" Lo asked.

"Well, I just remembered there were some top secret documents stored on my phone. I had to call my carrier to lock and deactivate it."

"Really? Top secret documents?"

"You know... the company's always on the cutting edge of technology. We have some pretty big ideas that are still in various stages of development, and we'd be screwed if one of our competitors got a hold of 'em."

"Right," Lo nodded.

Jack started the car, and shortly thereafter, they were back on the road.

"But why did you have to stop and use a pay phone? You could've used my phone."

"Yeah, but I have a very finicky carrier. The service desk refuses calls unless they're from a land line."

"Oh, I see. Or, maybe, just maybe..."

It was then that Jack noticed, for the first time, that all of the contents of Lo's purse had been spilled out and either were in her lap or on the floor mat beneath her feet.

"You didn't ask to use my phone because **YOU THREW IT OUT**!"

"Me? Preposterous! I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Really? Hmmm..."

Lo recalled something that happened a couple hours ago, back at the resort driveway...

* * *

_Jack was waiting in a blue Nissan 370Z Coupe as Lo walked up, holding her purse. But just as she was about to open the passenger side door, Wipeout, the resort's mascot, appeared behind her._

_"Cool ride!" he said. "Where you off to?"_

_"Uh," Lo turned to him to respond, "a date?"_

_Wipeout whistled._

_"Must be loaded to have a car like that. Does Mr. Ridgemount know?"_

_Lo wasn't too pleased with that question._

_"Why would Dad have to know about this?"_

_Suddenly, the passenger side window was lowered, and Jack stuck his head to see what was holding Lo up._

_"Is there a problem?"_

_"No problem," Lo quickly answered. "Could... you give us a minute, sweetie?"_

_Without thinking, Lo handed her purse over to Jack, who reached out and took it. Jack then pulled his head back in, with the purse in tow, while Lo went back to chatting with Wipeout and convincing him to keep quiet._

* * *

_A little while later, on the road to where Jack had parked his private jet, they passed by the island's lone airport. He drove right by the terminal entrance, tossing the phone out without even stopping. He didn't even see it drop directly into the trash can._

_"What was that?" Lo asked, having caught Jack throwing something out of the corner of her eye._

_"Box of cigarettes," Jack quickly lied. "One of your valets must've left it behind when they parked my car."_

_Satisfied with the answer, Lo leaned back in her seat and relaxed._

* * *

"That wasn't a box of cigarettes!" Lo looked at him. "That was my phone you were throwing away, you jerk!"

Jack slowed the car to a stop at a red traffic light. He took the moment to turn to look at Lo, who was glaring at him.

"Look, I can explain."

"Really? Well, let's hear it!"

"Sure. And... you will! When we get to our destination."

He had hoped that would quell her, but he gasped when he saw Lo already unbuckling her seatbelt and reaching for the door handle.

"Wait, what are you..."

"What does it look like?"

Lo opened the door and stepped out of the car and was about to walk away when she realized she was holding her purse and it was empty. She had forgotten to put her stuff back in it, even as it fell to the floor while she was getting out of her seat.

"Keep it all," she suddenly decided, "as a reminder of your betrayal!"

Lo turned and started to stomp off. Jack cursed under his breath and began a sequence to exit the car as well.

"Wait!" he shouted.

"I'm not listening!" Lo shouted back, covering her ears with her own hands.

"You don't understand!"

Lo definitely didn't, but she quickly would, when an nondescript white van skidded to a stop to her left. The rear side door slid open, and two pairs of burly arms reached out and grabbed her.

"**HEY!**" she yelled in a panic, as she was easily pulled in.

"**LAUREN!**" Jack yelled.

The van's tires screeched as it speedily pulled away, the side door being slid closed as it moved. Jack turned around and ran back to his car.

"No way I'm letting them take her!" he said aloud.

* * *

Inside the van, Lo was screaming and struggling with all her might as she was forced face-down onto the floor in the back of the van. One big guy was holding her legs down by the ankles while a second knelt down over her back, as he tried to hold her arms in place while a third tied them together with a thick rope.

"**EEK!** Let me go, let me go, **LET ME GO!**"

"Can someone **PLEASE** shut the brat up?" the driver yelled from the front.

The guy who had finished knotting the rope tying Lo's arms together pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and motioned to use it as a gag to quiet their prisoner...

* * *

The van made its way through traffic and managed to reach the highway, on its way to the borough of Manhattan. Jack was giving chase in his high-priced vehicle, trying to make sure not to lose sight of it in the somewhat-dense night traffic.

"I'll never forgive myself if something were to happen to her now," Jack said aloud, before slapping himself to knock some sense into him. "No! I can't act like that! It's my job to get her back!"

He continued the chase, but with no weapons on him, he had no way to stop the van other than forcing it off the road with his own vehicle. And that would be tough to do at the moment without involving innocent bystanders. He had no choice but to follow until an opportunity could present itself.

* * *

But the opportunity never came, as the van carrying Lo pulled off the highway and right into the New York Botanical Garden. Jack stopped the car at a safe distance, then hopped out and stayed out of sight as he watched the van pull up to the front entrance. Since it was already night, the gardens were closed, which meant there was no one around as four men emerged from the van, along with Lo, who was being coaxed inside.

Jack tried to follow them inside, but stopped short when he saw one of them stop and turn around to guard the gate.

"Looks like I'm gonna have to pull out some tools for this one," Jack thought to himself.

* * *

Lo was led by the three to the conservatory. Inside, she was coaxed to walk to the exact center, where a wooden chair awaited her, with a heat lamp positioned right above it. There were no other sources of light other than the moonlight beaming through the mostly glass domed roof, but the group managed to stay on the man-made paths.

"Sit."

Coming into the light, Lo stepped forward, away from the man that had been following right behind her, with a handgun pointed into her back. She calmly took a seat on the chair, her hands still tied together and her mouth still gagged. She was unhappy about how she was being treated, but at the same time, she was also fearful for her life.

The gun-wielder kept his weapon fixed on Lo as he stepped slightly to her left. The other big man adjusted the heat lamp so the light was focused directly on her face. The driver then walked up to the light and stared Lo right in the eyes.

"If we remove the handkerchief, you promise not to yell?"

Lo thought about it for a second, noted the guy still with his gun pointed at her, and nodded affirmatively. The driver nodded at the guy to Lo's right, who reached over and undid the knot holding the handkerchief gagging her in place. It was removed, and true to her word, she didn't yell.

She did complain, however.

"What's going on? What do you want with me?"

She then turned to look at the man holding the handkerchief.

"And when was the last time you washed that thing? Yuck! I swear I tasted snot!"

"You know what we want," the driver stared at her.

"I do? Like, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, isn't it obvious? Cabbage! Potatoes! Bones! Clams! Plaster! Bullets! Dead presidents!"

"Do I **LOOK** like a Wal-Mart to you? And the last one... eew!"

"**MONEY!**" he yelled at her. "**I WANT MONEY!**"

"Oh. Well..."

Lo held out the mini-purse she somehow was still clutching in her hands despite being tied up, then turned it upside down to show nothing was in it.

"I would give you some, but I seem to have left all of my cash behind in the car of that dumb jerk of a guy **I** thought was my boyfriend!"

"Fine! Grab her cell phone! We'll ask her father for a healthy ransom!"

But before the two burly men could get grabby...

"Not on me. Jerk got a hold of it and threw it in a trash can when I wasn't looking."

The three kidnappers looked at each other strangely, then back at Lo.

"The tabloids are right," the one holding the gun said aloud. "Hotel heiresses really **DO** attract jerks for boyfriends."

* * *

Back at the front gate, the one guy that had been left behind to keep an eye out for wandering eyes was now fast asleep on the ground. His butt was sticking up in the air, and sticking out of it was a tranquilizer dart.

Jack was running away, staying low and keeping in the shadows, as he made his way to the conservatory.

* * *

A few minutes later, he was inside, and slowly approaching the center, where Lo and her three kidnappers were gathered. The two big guys had their eyes trained on their captive, while the smaller one had whipped out a cell phone and seemed to be trying to get in touch with someone as he took a few steps away from the others.

Jack sneaked in closer, until he could begin to overhear part of the smaller one's conversation...

"...yeah. We have her. Daddy's little angel. And do I mean little... does he not feed her? She's... thin as a stick!"

Jack then turned his attention to the two men keeping an eye on Lo. Particularly the one who had the heat lamp treated on her and was paying close attention to her as sweat started to run down her forehead.

"I love a tan as much as the next surfer girl," Lo panted, "but can you turn that thing down?"

"No way!" he exclaimed. "I've never seen a heiress sweat before!"

"Seriously?" Lo raised an eyebrow. "Where did they find you? The orphanage for the young and brainless?"

"Hey!" the guy with the gun shouted. "That's my sister's cousin you're insultin'!"

"Gee, sor-**RY!** I thought I was the sensitive one here!"

Suddenly, a dart came flying out of some nearby fauna, and it hit the one drooling over Lo's sweat. He was knocked out instantly, falling to the floor right in front of her.

"Who's there?" the other asked.

He turned in the direction he thought the dart had come from. His instincts were wrong, as he was hit by a dart from a different direction. He, too, fainted before he could call out for help.

"What?" Lo gasped in shock. "What's going on?"

She got her answer when the heat lamp was moved away from her face and Jack appeared in its place.

"Jack!"

"Look who's happy to see me," Jack said with a smile.

Lo stood up, and Jack went to work trying to undo the ropes tying her hands together.

"You know," he continued, "you would've never gotten in this mess if you would've stayed in the car."

"I wouldn't have left the car if you hadn't lied to me!" she fired back.

"Look, Lauren. About that..."

"And the part about you falling head-over-heels for me? That was a lie too, wasn't it?"

"Well, actually..."

The two heard somebody gasp deeply from nearby. They turned and saw the driver looking there way, stunned into silence, still holding his phone up to his ear. Jack quickly reacted, charging straight for him. The guy dropped his phone and tried to reach into his pocket to pull out a firearm, but Jack got around him and wrapped his left arm around his neck, effectively putting him in a sleeper hold. The man tried to fight it, but slowly, he dropped to his knees, then onto his butt, and finally, he lost consciousness.

Jack lied the man carefully on the ground, then reached into his pocket and pulled out the loaded firearm inside. He slipped it into the left inner breast pocket just as Lo walked over, having managed to slip out of the loosened rope around her wrists.

"Well," Jack chuckled, "I bet you've never had a first date like that!"

Lo growled angrily.

"Right... not in a joke-y mood. So... explanation?"

Lo put her hands on her hips, anxious to hear his 'excuse' for lying. Jack sighed, and began...

"The truth is..."

* * *

About a minute later, Lo could be heard yelling from as far away as the other side of the gardens.

"**WHAT?**"

**To be continued...**

**Author's Notes:**  
So now the truth comes out...

It wouldn't be fair to keep Jack's secret from Lo for a prolonged period of time. It just so happened that he didn't exactly do it the right way, and Lo can show flashes of intelligence. Particularly when it comes to the ins-and-outs of dating.

Also, fun fact... the rest of the gang was originally not to appear together again until the end of the story, but everyone was supposed to make a cameo appearance at some point in-between. That got changed when the storyline got retooled into a shorter version.

If you like, please review! Next chapter coming soon!


	3. So, Am I the Girl?

**"Where on Earth is Lauren Ridgemount?"**  
**Story Written by Freedom Fighter**

Alright, so onto the third chapter! The previous installment left with a big secret being revealed to Lo. What's next?

**Disclaimer:** The characters of 'Stoked' belong to Fresh TV, Inc., Teletoon, and Cartoon Network.

**-**  
**Chapter Three - So, Am I the Girl? (12.03.10)**  
**-**

At the New York Botanical Gardens, a group of police officers had handcuffed the three kidnappers and were leading them to their patrol cars to be hauled off to jail. Jack was walking away from another after having given his statement, and he made his way over to Lo, who was sitting on a nearby bench, unhappy about everything that had just transpired.

"I think it's time we get out of here," Jack said as he stopped next to her.

Lo turned to look up and at Jack. She glared at him, making him very uncomfortable.

"I'm not happy with you right now."

Lo got up and started walking towards the gate, heading for the parking lot. Jack followed her, a few steps back, trying to explain his rationale.

"Just because I didn't tell you that I was a spy?"

"Yes! I mean... no! I mean... **ALL OF THE ABOVE!**"

"All of the above?"

Lo stopped and did a complete about-face, causing Jack himself to stop to avoid walking right into her.

"The thing I hate most about guys," Lo said as she jabbed her right ring finger into Jack's sternum, "is when they keep secrets! I don't like to be kept in the dark about anything when I'm dating!"

"I didn't tell you up front that I was a spy because no one's supposed to know I'm a spy! That's the number one rule about being a spy! Only people who need to know are told!"

"And I, your potential girlfriend, doesn't need to know?"

"I didn't know if I could trust you!"

Lo gritted her teeth angrily.

"That wasn't the right thing to say, was it?" Jack asked rhetorically, realizing his horrible mistake.

"I wanna go home," she suddenly demanded.

With that, Lo spun around on her heel and began walking towards Jack's car once again.

"Drive me back to the airport, and fly me home! Now!"

Jack ran up to Lo, grabbed her by the right wrist, and turned her back to face him, getting a hold of her other wrist as he did so.

"I'm afraid I can't."

"What?"

"You're not safe there."

"And I'm safer here? Yeah, right!"

"Listen to me, Lauren! Your life is in danger!"

"It'll be your life in danger if you don't let go of me in the next five seconds!"

Jack didn't think Lo was capable of killing him with her own bare hands. Not just because he thought she'd never be willing to live with herself if she succeeded, but that she wasn't strong enough to even hurt him that much. Still, Jack knew he couldn't have her completely turn against him.

So, he released her.

Lo pulled her hands back down by her side, then shot a mean look Jack's way. Then, she resumed walking back to the car. Jack sighed, then followed her.

* * *

Minutes later, they were back on the road, and Jack kept his eyes on the road as he drove, occasionally shooting brief glances at his passenger. And every time he did so, he saw Lo with her arms crossed over her chest as she stared out the passenger-side window.

Both sat there silently, the only audible noises that were heard either came from the car itself or the other vehicles around them.

Finally, Lo stopped looking out the window and turned her head to look at Jack, intending on breaking the silence.

"So... when were you going to tell me?"

She waited for him to respond. But he didn't, she asked him another question.

"Were you ever going to tell me?"

Again, she waited. And again, he delayed giving a reply. Then, just as she was about to push the issue even further...

"No. I never planned for it."

"You never planned on telling me?"

Jack sighed, then clarified his response.

"Being a secret agent is a dangerous job. Whenever I go out on a mission, I'm putting my life out on the line. And because of that, I have to be careful with whom I associate with. Anyone who knows me can be used against me. I have to be careful of how close people like you get to me. You could be risking your own life just by knowing my name."

"So, let me get this straight... you would've let me get killed before you'd ever tell me that you were a spy?"

"Well, when you put it that way..."

Lo huffed angrily once more.

"Look, I'm sorry for keeping my real job a secret..."

"What else have you lied to me about?" Lo asked. "There's the tossing of my phone, you being a spy. Next you're going to tell me that you were never in love with me and you were just using me!"

Jack went silent again. Lo gasped in dismay.

"You mean..."

"Yes! I mean, no! Well, yes and no..."

"Yes **AND** no? It can't be both!"

"Well, you see, I was sent up to British Columbia to find and protect you," Jack explained. "Those guys that kidnapped you? Well, I have reason to believe that they work for the deviously sneaky and notorious philanthropist of evil..."

"Captain Ron?"

Jack looked oddly at Lo.

"Captain Ron?"

"Yeah. He and Daddy compete in pretty much everything, including who can run the best beach resort. But... I don't think he'd ever resort to kidnapping."

"I'm not talking about a neighborhood rival from across the inlet, Lauren! I'm talking about a guy so vile and despicable, he once refused to help a little old lady cross the street."

"That doesn't sound so..."

"The little old lady was his own grandma."

"And now he sounds like a jerk."

"His name is Fargo Hope. Very rich, a hotel mogul like your father, but on a grander scale."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Lo interrupted. "His name is Fargo Hope?"

"Yeah. Why?"

Lo started to laugh uncontrollably.

"What? What's so funny about that name?"

She quickly dialed her chuckling down so she could explain.

"Well, don't you British spies have enemies with names that have puns in them? Y'know, like Dr. No. Or Goldfinger. Or Scaramanga. And even Octopussy!"

"That only happens in the movies!"

"Oh."

"Anyway, as I was saying... Mr. Hope wants to become the richest and most powerful resort owner in the hotel business! And he's willing to do anything to achieve that. Including kidnapping you and holding you for ransom!"

"He's using **ME** to get money from Daddy?"

"More than that. He wants all of Surfer's Paradise and was going to use you as leverage to get your father to hand over the deed to the resort. If he succeeds, then he achieves his goal of world domination of the hotel resort industry!"

"Well, tell him good luck for me! Daddy's not going to go down without a fight!"

"But that's the thing, my dear. If your father won't agree to giving up Surfer's Paradise willingly, Hope will be more than satisfied to just wipe it off the map."

"You mean..."

"Yes! He means wiping it out of existence!"

"But... but... I live there! The resort's my whole life! Past, present, and future! He can't take that away from me!"

"Oh, but he can and he will!"

"So where do you fit into all of this?"

"Well, my superiors have reason to believe that Hope plans to do more than hold you for ransom."

"More. Like what?"

"We're not exactly sure. But my mission is to find and keep you safe from any attempts by Hope or his men to capture you."

"Okay. What about all of your flirting?"

"Oh, that? Well..."

"You did that just to gain my trust, didn't you?"

"Well, to be frank..."

"So none of it was real?" an exasperated Lo threw her hands up as if surrendering. "Figures."

"No, Miss Ridgemount. Well... not at first..."

"I don't wanna hear another word from you the rest of the way back to did you say not at first?"

"Well, it's kind of hard to explain..."

Lo was surprised and intrigued by this sudden turn of events.

"You mean... you actually like me? **LIKE** like me?"

Jack didn't issue a response, not wanting to misspeak again. Yet Lo kept pushing it...

"Since when?"

She looked at him, pressing for an answer with her eyes. Finally, he decided to give one.

"The moment when you got kidnapped."

A confused look formed on Lo's face.

"When I saw those goons grab you, just seconds after you got out of the car. At first, I thought it was just my natural spy response. I was supposed to protect you, I let you fall into enemy hands, et cetera, et cetera. But then I realized how much I liked it when you impressed with me and my suit and my car and how much that delighted you and made you look beautiful in the night..."

"In other words, the reactions from me you were expecting!"

"Yes, but it's more than that. It's... just... something about the way you look tonight. It... it took my breath away. I've... I've never met a girl that's ever done that to me before."

This time, it was Lo that was finally stunned speechless. Jack decided to leave it at that, dropping the subject as he exited the freeway and made a turn-off... towards somewhere other than the airport.

* * *

"You're late!"

Jack had pulled off to the side of the road somewhere in the borough of Queens, leaving Lo alone in his car as he walked up to his contact, a brown-haired man in his late 20s, wearing a black trench coat over his own tuxedo. He also had a lit cigarette that was being held in-between his left index and middle fingers.

"Someone's crabby tonight," Jack said in response.

"Oh, stuff it, Ford!" the agent shot back.

"Fine, fine."

The smoker reached into his right coat pocket and pulled out a small white envelope, which he indiscreetly handed to Jack. Jack took it, then opened it right there and then. But all that was in there was...

"Two plane tickets to Johannesburg?"

His contact nodded in confirmation.

"I didn't know you knew I was a football fanatic, 321."

"I didn't," Agent 321 responded. "A said that sources tell us that our villain du jour is planning to attend the world championship game there. A thinks he might be up to more than we originally thought, and she wants you to find out."

"But doesn't Hope want the Ridgemount girl? What good does that do all of us unexpectedly bringing her straight to him?"

"I dunno," 321 shrugged his shoulders. "Like I've ever been able to understand that old bat."

"Now..." Jack said as he looked back at his car, "how do I convince her to fly there with me?"

"Oh," his friend smiled slyly. "You're a suave, international spy. I'm sure you'll find a way to convince her... wink, wink."

"She's underage, FYI! Though... that gives me an idea of how to get her to sign on..."

* * *

Exactly 18 hours later, Jack and Lo were walking through customs at O. R. Tambo International Airport near Johannesburg, South Africa.

"I've never been to South Africa before," Lo admitted aloud after receiving clearance from the customs officer. "It's so... so... so... not as third-world as I thought it'd be."

"It's because it's the first-ever World Cup that the continent of Africa is holding," Jack explained. "It's a really big deal here, hosting the world's most prestigious football tournament."

"Oh... is **THAT** why there's so much security here? I thought it would be because that Hope dude is here."

"Well... he is a VIP. Just... not on the scale of the World Cup."

"Speaking of which... are you sure about this? Meeting with the man who wants to use me to get to Daddy? And under these pretenses?"

"Yes. At the end of the day, all he wants is your family's resort. And if we can make him think that we're giving him what he wants, we can lure him into a false sense of security. And that's when we'll have him..."

"And if we get this guy off of our backs," Lo concluded, "then I'll finally get to go home!"

"Of course. Granted, I'm surprised you decided to go through with this to begin with."

"Hey! Like I said, Surfer's Paradise is my home. It belongs to Daddy, and one day, he'll pass it down to me! No way I'm letting some money-flaunting outsider muscle in on my birthright!"

As they walked towards the airport exit, Jack pulled out a brand-new phone and used it to text Agent 321.

His message? 'Told you she'd buy into the spoiled right angle.'

* * *

Since it was already night, Jack and Lo went straight from the airport to their hotel, which happened to be aptly named The Fargo. As they made their way from the front doors, which were opened by uniformed bellhops/guards, to the check-in desk, Lo gasped in awe at everything she saw in the lobby. From the pure diamond chandeliers to the Renaissance-era paintings and traditional African decor, she was beginning to feel like she was a princess.

"This is like a palace!" Lo squealed.

"Nice, isn't it?" Jack said back, in a low voice.

"I should really get the name of their designer!"

The two proceeded to the front desk, where they were greeted by the female clerk.

"Welcome to The Fargo!" she said to them. "Checking in?"

"Yes," Jack said, pulling a credit card out of his vest pocket, which he handed to her. "The name's Black. Jack Black."

As the clerk searched for Jack's reservation in the computer, Jack noticed Lo shooting an odd look at him.

"Your last name is Black?"

"Heh heh..." he chuckled nervously, "of course it is... honey!"

"Honey?" Lo was taken aback by the spur-of-the-moment nickname.

The clerk looked up upon hearing the developing spat between the two of them.

"Honey?"

"Yes, Honey!" Jack said aloud as he clasped his hands over Lo's. "That's what everyone at work calls my partner here. Because she's so sweet."

Jack then gave Lo a 'play along' look, and she quickly obliged.

"Oh, yeah! That's me... Honey! That's what they call me!"

The clerk raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"The two of you?" she pointed at Jack, and then Lo. "Together. As partners? Seriously? But isn't she..."

"I assure you," Jack stepped in, "she's a very shrewd entrepreneur. You don't wanna get on the wrong end of my business partner here in a deal. She's a no nonsense saleswoman, she is!"

"Oh. Well, I guess I mistook you for someone else."

The clerk swiped Jack's credit card for pre-authorization, then handed it, along with two room keys, to him.

"Enjoy your stay!"

"I'm sure we will," Jack said with a smirk.

He and Lo then started heading for the elevators.

"Does everyone think you're always **WITH** the girl that's with you?" Lo asked him.

"It comes with the territory. Spies are well known for getting their mack on..."

* * *

"Well..."

Lo was getting her first look at the room that were staying in for the night...

"It's not the penthouse, but I suppose it will do."

"Well, it was last minute," Jack explained. "Getting a hotel room at all was quite the labor, I can tell you that..."

"And what is **THIS**?"

Lo had found something she wasn't happy with. The room only had one queen-sized bed in it.

"Well, Lauren, like I said..."

"Only a queen-size? You couldn't get a king-size one?"

"The size of the bed isn't important!" Jack exclaimed. "It's what we're going to do tomorrow that's important."

Lo sighed with disappointment before falling backwards onto the bed.

"You're right."

Jack walked past the bed and over to the window, as he pulled apart the curtains to look out towards the cityscape at night.

"So, here's what we're going to do..."

Jack turned around to start laying out the plan in detail, but silenced himself when he saw that Lo had already fallen fast asleep on top of the bed's covers.

"Ugh," he grumbled. "I feel like a babysitter right now. Not exactly how I envisioned spending a night in South Africa."

He then headed for the door into the hallway, deciding to let Lo sleep off her travel exhaustion.

* * *

The following morning, Lo rose from bed, refreshed and ready to take on the day.

"Yeah!" Lo giggled as she lifted her arms over her head as high as she could. "I feel like catching some waves today! Maybe I can sneak in a trip to The Office before work."

Lo made her way over to the curtains and pulled them apart to let the sun in. But, to her surprise, she saw a sprawling city before her, instead of the beach paradise she had been accustomed to her her whole life.

"Oh," she suddenly recalled, "that's right. That was my first night in a bed away from the resort. Should've figured something wasn't right when I didn't feel any cockroaches crawling on my arm."

Lo glanced around the room as to reacquaint herself with her surroundings.

"That's right," she said as she massaged her eyelids with her right thumb and ring finger. "I'm... I'm in South Africa. With Jack. That guy... who I thought was boyfriend material, but it turns out he's actually a secret agent, sent to protect me from some hotel mogul jerk that wants to buy out Daddy! And he whisked me here in hopes of getting him to back off. Yes... now I remember!"

Lo bolted for the door leading out of the hotel room, but again, was halted when something else caught her eye. There was a note taped to the closet door, along with an envelope. It was from Jack.

"Lauren," Lo read the note aloud, "I trust you know how to dress to impress. Use this to buy yourself something elegant, then meet me in the hotel lobby at four. Jack."

Lo opened the envelope and found in full of 100 rand banknotes.

"Paper?" she said as she pulled one of the banknotes out and examined it. "I'm usually a plastic girl... but, hey, new duds on someone else's bill? I'm not complaining!"

* * *

Jack was sitting in the hotel lobby, tapping his foot impatiently as he sat there in a brand new tuxedo, occasionally running his hands down it to keep it from wrinkling.

"Where is she?" he asked himself aloud as he glanced at his watch. "I know the saying goes 'you never keep a girl waiting.' Well, that girl needs to learn that you should never keep **ME** waiting!"

"Ooh, thank you!" Lo's voice suddenly rang out, from the front door.

"Finally!" he scoffed as he got up from his seat.

He walked over to scold Lo for not being on time, but he stopped short when he saw Lo with a bunch of shopping bags draped over her arms. But what he paid most attention to was the simple, ankle-length light orange sundress, which matched well with her natural skin and looked absolutely dazzling on her.

"So?" Lo winked at him, "what do you think?"

To give him more time to gawk, Lo slowly spun around to give him the full view of her dress.

"I was surprised of the selection they had here," Lo readily admitted. "And everyone around here is so helpful! Including the men... whew! I've never seen so many guys fawn over little ol' me!"

Lo seemed pleased with her choice, but the frown on Jack's face showed that he didn't agree with her.

"You don't like? I picked out, like, five or six different dresses! You want more poofy? More African? Scandalously skin-tastic?"

"What is wrong with you?" Jack said as he got in her face. "I said dress to impress!"

"What are you talking about, silly? I'm impressed with myself!"

Lo squatted down to place all of her bags down on the ground, then reached into one of them and pulled out a small straw hat and a pair of stylish pink-tinted sunglasses. She put them both on, then stood up to see if the accessories would have any effect on him.

"Tell the truth," she goaded him, "I could pass for a movie star! That's the type of girl you fawn for, right?"

Jack grabbed Lo by the arm and pulled her forcefully towards the hotel main entrance/exit.

"Ow!" Lo winced in pain. "Hey, I bruise easily, y'know!"

"We don't have time for this!"

They came out of the building, and Jack tugged Lo towards the nearest taxi cab. Once next to it, he opened the passenger door with his free hand, then let go of Lo and motioned for her to get in.

"No need to get snappy! I did what you told me to do!"

"No, you didn't! Plus, you're 20 minutes late! Now, get in!"

Lo frowned, upset by Jack's boorish behavior, but she complied with his request and got into the back seat of the cab. Once she was in, Jack got in behind her and took a seat next to her.

"The soccer stadium," Jack said aloud, shouting to the driver through the glass barrier separating the front from the back.

The driver simply nodded, and pulled away the moment Jack closed the cab door.

"Well, I'm sorry my style doesn't turn you on!" Lo argued. "But you could at least be a gentleman about it and complement me anyway!"

"Look, we're **NOT** having this conversation right now!" shouted Jack. "We have a job to do, and once it's done, we can go our separate ways."

Lo was about to agree with him, but the two of them noticed pink smoke funneling from several small orifices in the cab cushions into the back seat area.

"It's a trap!" Jack yelled.

Jack reached for the latch on the door next to him, trying to get it open, but the cabin was already filled with smoke and he could feel himself losing consciousness. As his strength left him and he felt his body go limp as he slumped back down into his seat, he saw that Lo was also succumbing to the gas as well.

He tried to reach out to her to grab her arm in a futile attempt to keep her awake, but he conked out before he could get a hold of her.

"Mission accomplished, boss," he heard the driver say in perfect English, as he held a cell phone up to his ear.

**To be continued...**

**Author's Notes:**  
Sorry if it feels like this story is going all over the place. It's gotten really hard to keep interest in this. But I'm trying. Maybe if I can just get some time to plan this out, maybe it will start to run smoother. And I can give you guys new installments sooner than once every five weeks.

Reviews help too, though, if you care!


	4. Backed Into a Corner

**"Where on Earth is Lauren Ridgemount?"**  
**Story Written by Freedom Fighter**

So... who knows where Lo is this chapter? 'Cause I certainly don't know. And neither does anyone important in her life to her...

**Disclaimer:** The characters of 'Stoked' belong to Fresh TV, Inc., Teletoon, and Cartoon Network.

**-**  
**Chapter Four - Backed Into a Corner (12.23.10)**  
**-**

Lo felt herself slowly slip out of unconsciousness. She could also feel herself methodically being moved up and down. But as she regained her senses, she realized that she couldn't move any of her limbs. She was handcuffed by the wrists, with her arms bent backwards and around a metal support pole, which felt chillingly cold against her skin. Her feet were forcibly bound together with rope, which was also tied around the pole.

Her nose picked up the unpleasant smell of dead fish, and it crinkled in response. Her eyes focused in that direction, and to her dismay, she saw two burly men deboning and gutting fish. And they had been doing it for awhile, given the sizable piles of fish skin and innards on the table between them.

"What did I do to deserve this?" she blurted out loud.

The two men stopped what they were doing upon hearing Lo's voice. They turned her way, each with a dirty, gut-soaked knife in hand.

"Finally awake, are ye?" the one on Lo's right asked her.

"Ye? I feel like I'm on the 'Pirate Ship' again..."

"Ye be on a ship," the other said, walking slowly towards Lo. "But we not be pirates. We be fishermen, ye greenhorn!"

"Fishermen? But that means..."

Lo looked beyond the man approaching her and out the small, circular window. Sure enough, she could see water... and lots of it... even in the darkness of night.

"You mean... we're at sea?"

The man, now standing next to her, nodded, and then sneered at her.

"Took ya long 'nough to figure out. But I guess when ye be out as long as ye be..."

"Out?"

It started to come back to her. The last thing Lo remembered... was getting into an argument in a taxi cab with Jack. And then... nothing.

"We been at sea for eight hours," the one still sitting by the fish told her. "And this be the first time ye eyes have opened."

"We were 'bout to send ye off the starboard side 'cause we be suspectin' ye be dead," admitted the second.

"Eight hours?" Lo's eyes went wide. "I was out for eight hours?"

"'Fraid so."

"'Nuff talkin'," the first cut in. "Robbie... didn't your mother ever teach you manners? 'Sides... you scarin' her with that knife!"

Robbie realized he was still holding his knife, and only a few feet away from Lo's body. He lowered it and an apologetic look appeared on his face.

"My apologies, lass. Would ye care for somethin' to eat?"

"Um..." Lo hesitated at first, "okay."

Robbie then walked off to the galley to fetch some food, leaving Lo with his co-worker, who went back to work gutting fish.

"Do you have to do that here?" Lo asked, the smell of fresh fish starting to make her nauseous.

"It's what pays the bills," he replied.

"And holding me prisoner?"

"Meh... it allows me to buy nice things for the wife."

"Seriously?"

"Look," he looked at Lo. "Being a full-time fisherman isn't exactly a profitable profession. Besides, even the working man like myself needs to spoil his gal once in awhile. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Well, yeah, but... what you're doing is wrong!"

"You gotta do what you gotta do," he shrugged his shoulders before resuming his main job. "Besides, we're not gonna hold you captive for much longer."

"Really?" Lo brightened up. "You mean, out of the goodness of your heart, you're going to let me go?"

"Not exactly. You see, we get paid to transport 'persons of value' to remote islands hundreds of miles away from the mainland. And we're delivering you for a client."

"A client? Does his name happen to be Fargo Hope, by chance?"

"Never heard of the guy. And, besides... only the captain knows who the clients are."

"Well, couldn't you ask him?"

"Nope! It's none of my business. And frankly, I don't think it's any of yours, either!"

"What about Jack?"

"Who?"

"Jack! He was the last person I saw before... this."

"Dunno. The only person we were paid to transport was you, girlie! Now, would you stop asking all these questions? You're making me feel guilty over here!"

"Well, you should be feeling so!" Lo exclaimed. "I'm pretty sure this is a crime. Of some sort."

The heiress wasn't quite so sure about that last sentence, but she was hoping to convince her captor that he was being immoral.

"Like I care!"

But Lo was determined to keep pushing the issue. Unfortunately, Robbie chose to return at that moment, carrying a bowl of hot oatmeal.

"Ye tell me to stop yappin' with the girl," Robbie complained as he put the bowl down on the table, "and here you are, Bruto, chattin' up like your best girlfriends gettin' mani-pedis!"

Bruto glared at Robbie.

"I've worked with you for 12 years... and that is, by far, the stupidest thing that's ever come out of your mouth!"

"But that's how all the little kids talk these days," Robbie said in his defense.

Bruto was still angrily glaring at his co-worker as he got up and walked over to Lo, while simultaneously putting his knife and fish down and reaching for something else in his pants pocket.

"If you don't shut your trap, I'll rip it off and feed it to the sharks!"

Lo didn't know what Bruno was about to do, but she closed her eyes in fear, not wanting to see the dastardly act. But instead of hurting her, she was stunned in disbelief when she felt him unlock and remove the handcuffs from her wrists. Lo reopened her eyes, just in time to pull her arms forward and rubbed the area where she had been cuffed with her fingers. First one, then the other.

She then saw Robbie place a small stool on the ground a couple of feet away from her. Then, she felt the ropes around her ankles and feet. She looked down and saw Bruto undoing the ropes.

"I'm going to assume you're a smart enough girl to know you won't try to run," Bruno told her. "Trust me... you won't want to mess with me if my assumption is wrong!"

Lo didn't respond in any way. She just calmly let Bruto finish untying her. Once she was free, Bruto stood back up and pointed at the stool. Lo complied, walking over to it and taking a seat.

"Oh!" she winced. "So hard!"

"Sorry, but this is a fishing vessel, not a palace," Robbie grumbled.

He then handed the bowl and a clean spoon to Lo, who took both items without question. The two men started walking back over to their workspace as Lo gathered a spoonful of oatmeal and put it in her mouth.

She just as quickly spat it back out.

"Aah!" she squealed, trying to scrape the remains of what she had put in her mouth off of her tongue.

The two men just laughed at her as they retook their seats.

"That's not funny!" she complained. "Don't you have any **REAL** food?"

"Lassie," Bruto said to her, "that's the closest thing that passes for nourishment on this ship!"

"Besides," Robbie growled, "this is the only time you have to eat that! All of us... that's breakfast, lunch, and dinner for us! Every day! For three whole weeks!"

"Well, I'm not eating it!"

Lo placed her bowl on the floor next to her.

"Suit yourself!"

The men reached for another batch of fresh fish and got back to work, keeping one eye on their 'captive,' who just sat there quietly for the remainder of her ride.

"This is worse than the crud Bummer feeds us," Lo thought to herself.

* * *

A little over an hour later, the boat that Lo was on dropped anchor at a small island, one whose dock was lit only by torches. A few minutes later, Lo, back in handcuffs, was being led away from the boat with two different men. Ones much closer to her age, and not as muscular.

She looked up to the ship's railing, and saw the captain and some of the crew standing there and watching her be taken away. It included Bruto, who remained stoic even as he saw Lo look sadly in his direction.

"Please..." Lo tried to mouth to him. "Help me!"

But Bruto continued to do nothing, even as his fellow crew members walked away from the railing to prepare the ship for cast-off. Finally realizing that he wasn't going to do anything to help her, Lo turned her head forward again and lowered, not resisting as she was ushered off of the dock and towards a green jeep waiting on the edge of the forest.

* * *

After a bumpy 10-minute ride, the jeep arrived at its final destination. And the sight of it left Lo in complete awe. It was a mansion built completely out of clay bricks, molded perfectly to stand up to even the harshest of weather conditions for at least 100 years. The roof was made out of reeds, bamboo, and other plant-like materials.

"Somebody's got a green thumb," Lo commented out loud.

* * *

A few minutes later, she was led to the backyard by her two escorts. There, she saw a rectangular pool that, by her guesstimate, was at least three-quarters of an acre in size. But at the moment, it wasn't filled with water, but instead with half a dozen workers thoroughly cleaning the walls and the bottom with brushes, brooms, and wax. This despite the fact that it was night, and the only thing illuminating the area where they were cleaning were two sets of portable stadium lights, powered up and humming with energy along the east-west ends of the pool.

A little past that, though, was an outdoor hot tub built into the ground. It was filled with water and illuminated by permanent light fixtures set up atop the fence that enclosed its perimeter on three of its four sides. And inside the tub itself, as Lo noticed as she was brought closer, was a bald man with a cue-ball shaped head. He had a pair of muscular arms on him, and possibly six-pack abs... but she couldn't tell because they were submerged under the water. Standing right behind his head was his butler, who stood there silently with a blue bathrobe draped over his left arm and a white towel over his left.

He smiled as Lo was led into the area. They stopped with her about three feet away from the opposite side of the tub.

"Ah... so you're the heiress to the Ridgemount estate? Your name is... Lauren, right?"

"And I take it you're Fargo Hope... the guy trying to buy out Daddy's resort!" she said defiantly.

"Bravo! You're a lot brighter than I was originally led to believe. Especially for a Daddy's Girl."

"If you think compliments will sway me to go along with your plan..."

"Pardon? I can't be a business man and a gentleman at the same time?"

"Not when you're trying to ruin my life," Lo remarked under her breath.

Seeing that Lo wouldn't be swayed so easily, Fargo changed his method of approach.

"Why don't you join me, Miss Ridgemount?"

He, of course, was motioning her to jump into the hot tub with him.

"I'm pretty sure you don't have a hot tub this nice back home."

Lo thought about it for a second, as the rays of warmth emanating from it were blown her way softly by the island winds. Which, in turn, also made her for the first time realize how chilly it was given the very thin sundress she was still wearing.

"Tempting," Lo casually admitted. "Very. Very... tempting. But..."

"But?" Fargo raised an eyebrow curiously, in order to close the deal.

"I'm not exactly dressed for it, as you can probably see."

"So? You're wearing intimates under that, aren't you?"

Lo was instantly repulsed by that last question.

"Ew! Sick, sick!"

"Oh, don't act so innocent! I've done my research. You have a reputation for being quite the party girl. It's why your father kicked you out of the penthouse and is forcing you to spend the summer working as a lowly wage lackey. In fact, what happened that night was the last of many straws. You had been on thin ice with Daddy for months because of other incidents that... shall I say... besmirched on your family's good name."

"Research? So on top of being a pervert, you're a stalker too?"

"In addition to the many wild parties you've thrown or have been a part of, not only at your Daddy's resort but throughout Sunset Island, there's the matter of a certain 'worst day ever'..."

Lo's eyes went wide.

"You don't mean..."

Fargo smirked.

"February 17th."

Lo gulped.

"I... I... I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, really?"

Fargo snapped his fingers, and his butler turned around and walked over to a lawn chair. He put down the robe and towel he was holding and reached for a small, accordion-like organizer. He pulled out a purple piece of laminated paper, which he took back over to his master. Lo braced herself as the hotel mogul started reading the words on the page out loud.

"Operating a vehicle without a driver's license, three counts of destruction of public property, six counts of public disturbance, numerous minor traffic violations... boy! Your Daddy must've had to pay a pretty penny to keep you and your fellow joyriders out of jail. And to keep it out of the news and off of public police records."

"For your information," Lo corrected, "all of those charges against us were dropped!"

"Maybe so... but not because of Daddy's power, influence, or money. Didn't one of your friends take the full blame by not only admitting he was behind the wheel instead of you, but because he was under the influence?"

"**WHAT?**"

"The police reports said that he had had a few drinks before meeting up with you and your other friends. But that's not the whole truth... now, is it, Lauren?"

"H-h-h-how?"

First Lo was stunned, then angry.

"Only the four of us know the truth! Not even Daddy knows! Do you **KNOW** what he'd do to me if he ever found out?"

"I can imagine," Fargo smirked. "He could ex-communicate you from the family, kick you out of the resort, pass over you and hand the resort over to your older brother Ty instead of you at his retirement..."

"I get it, I get it!" Lo cried, starting to break down.

The brunette dropped to her knees and buried her face in her hands. Fargo grinned as he snapped his fingers at his butler again. He leaned over and helped his master out of the tub, and then retrieved his towel and robe. After getting dried off and covering himself with his robe, he made his way over to Lo.

He squatted down in front of her, tapping her on the left shoulder once he was in position. Lo pulled herself out of her wet hands and looked up at him, tears streaming down her face.

"There's one way that you can guarantee this stays our little secret, my dear."

Lo looked at him and nodded her head in desperation.

"Convince dear old Daddy to hand over Surfer's Paradise to me... and I swear, we'll both take your deep, dark secret to the graves with us."

Left with no choice, she nodded again. Seeing this, Fargo stood up and looked at the two men who had brought her to him.

"Prepare the deed transfer paperwork!" he commanded them. "Oh, and make sure Daddy's Girl here is ready. After all, he'll never hand the resort over if he doesn't believe his little angel isn't all smiles."

The two men pulled Lo up to her feet and escorted her towards the door leading into the mansion.

"I always get what I want," Fargo chuckled. "Always."

He then pulled out his communicator/cell phone, and used it to quickly contact another one of his men elsewhere in the complex.

"How's the treatment of other 'guest' going?" he asked.

"As you expected, sir," the man on the other end replied, "he's keepin' his yap shut. Do you want us to resort to more drastic measures?"

"Actually... I have a better idea..."

* * *

Half an hour later, Fargo Hope was sitting at a cherry oak table in the middle of his den, with the fireplace lit in the background. Several of his bodyguards were scattered throughout the room. He was genuinely happy as a small stack of papers lied in front of him, as well as a landline phone. His smile would grow bigger as Lauren walked into the room, accompanied by yet another one of his personal guards. She had composed herself and had her wits back among her as she made her way over and took a seat at the table, across from the hotel mogul and right in front of the telephone.

"So..." Lauren spoke up meekly, "you promise not to tell Daddy anything about that... day?"

"I am a man of my word," Fargo reassured her, "as long as you hold up your end of the deal and get your Daddy to sign over ownership of Surfer's Paradise to me."

"Fine. Let's do this."

Lo picked up the receiver as Fargo turned the numbers towards him and dialed the number to Mr. Ridgemount's office. Once he finished, Lo waited with baited breath for the call to go through and to start hearing ringing on the other end.

"And I'd watch what you say if I were you," he warned her.

She nodded as she continued to wait for someone to pick up the phone. After about seven rings, just as it was about to go to voice-mail, she finally got an answer on the other end.

"Hello?"

Lauren's face brightened up. She knew that voice like the 16 digits on her personal credit card.

"Daddy!"

"Lauren? Lauren, honey, is that you?"

"Yes! Yes, yes it is!"

"Are you okay? Are those kidnappers treating you well? I swear... if they've laid as much as a finger on you..."

Lo quickly glanced down at her handcuffs, then over at her captor.

"No... Daddy..." she said slowly as she started right into Hope's eyes. "I... I've been treated well."

She heard her father breath a sigh of relief as Fargo nodded in approval of her approach so far. Lo then turned to face his left as she continued on.

"Where are you, Lauren? I'll come down there to pick you up myself!"

"It's okay, Daddy! I don't need rescuing."

"What? What do you mean 'I don't need rescuing?'"

"Well, you see... the guy who took me away. He was working for a big time hotel mogul. Someone... very interested in Surfer's Paradise."

"**I KNEW IT!**" she heard her father yell, followed by the sound of him slamming his fist down on his desk. "Captain Ron. It's **ALWAYS** him!"

"No, Daddy," Lo cut in, trying to calm her father down. "It's not Captain Ron. It's someone bigger. Much, much... ulp... bigger."

"Who could be a bigger thorn in my side than Captain Ron? Tell me, Lauren! Who?"

Lo took a deep breath, and was about to say her captor's name... when, suddenly, she stopped herself. Instead, she began to lower the phone down from her ear. And that immediately got a reaction from Mr. Hope.

"What are you doing, you little wench?"

"I'm sorry," she sighed, "but I... I can't do this."

"What do you mean? We had an agreement, Miss Ridgemount! Unless... unless you **WANT** your dirty little secret to get out. You'll not only shame yourself, but you'll shame Daddy, you'll shame Mommy, you'll shame your family's name, and you'll shame the reputation of your popular tourist resort!"

"I don't care!" Lo said with a frown. "I'm not going let a snake like you take over the family resort! And I don't care if refusing to help you soils the Ridgemount name! Or mine! I'm not gonna let you hold the worst night of my life over my head like it's some piece of meat being given to a pack of ravenous dogs! I'm not proud of what I did, and surely Daddy will hate me for a few years. But Surfer's Paradise is something he's worked his whole life since graduating college to make glitzy and popular! I'm not going to let you take his whole livelihood from him with just a snap of your fingers!"

"You forget," he gritted his teeth as he leaned over the table and grabbed her left arm forcefully. "There are other ways I can get him to sign over the resort. As in... offering a ransom in order for him to get his precious little angel back!"

"I'll never allow you to do that!" Lo growled. "In fact, I'm sure that Jack will burst in here any minute to come and rescue me!"

Sure enough, Jack came stumbling and bumbling into the den at that very instant. Lo gasped as he saw his tuxedo was ripped in many places across his torso, arms, and legs, and he was bleeding from cuts as a result from those. There was also blood dripping from his nose, he had a black eye, and his left cheek was very heavily bruised.

"Jack!"

Lo wanted to run over to make sure he was okay, but Fargo refused to release his grip on her arm.

"Ow! That hurts!"

"It'll hurt a lot more for your friend, the spy over there, if you don't tell Daddy right now to give me the deed to Surfer's Paradise!"

One of the guards walked over, pulled a handgun out of his pocket, cocked it and then pointed it downwards, right at Jack's head.

"Your choice, Lauren Ridgemount! Surfer's Paradise... or his life!"

**To be continued...**

**Author's Notes:**  
Some 'falsely' assume that the morning after the party in the series' pilot that Lo wakes up so groggy because she had been drinking alcohol and/or doing drugs. But, of course, that can't fly in a 9-14 show with teenage characters, so the obvious explanation is that she went to sleep so very, very late. But, hey, I still thought it would be an interesting angle to play, and you never know with party animals.

For the record, though... I do not condone underage drinking. Just to be clear.

Anyway... the resolution to this cliffhanger sometime next month!


	5. The Escape

**"Where on Earth is Lauren Ridgemount?"**  
**Story Written by Freedom Fighter**

Those of you looking for some action, you've come to the right place! Let's get this chapter started!

Disclaimer: The characters of 'Stoked' belong to Fresh TV, Inc., Teletoon, and Cartoon Network.

**-**  
**Chapter Five - The Escape (01.24.11)**  
**-**

Lo was in a difficult position. Her left arm was gripped tightly by Fargo Hope, the hotel mogul who was willing to do what it took to get Lo's father, Mr. Ridgemount, to sell him the Surfer's Paradise Resort. The only person who could keep her from trying to convince her father to sign over the resort was Jack, the spy.

The same spy that laid before her on the ground, about 15 feet away, bleeding, battered, and bruised in what seemed to be a failed rescue attempt. And to make matters even worse, one of Hope's bodyguards was pointing a gun right at his head.

"Last chance," warned Hope. "Tell your father to sell me Surfer's Paradise... or have the death of this man on your conscience!"

Lo looked down at the receiver, where she could just barely make out her father shouting her name. She then turned her attention to Jack, who was gasping for breath as he held his hands over the spots where his biggest cuts were. He was attempting to slow down his bleeding, but that seemed to be the least of his problems given he was seconds away from being assassinated. Finally, the heiress glanced over her shoulder and back at the mogul, whom she could see was growing more impatient by the second, waiting for her response.

"Fine."

Hope raised an eyebrow in befuddlement, not quite sure what decision Lo had made. Seeing this hesitation, Lo spoke up again, making her choice more profound.

"The resort means everything to me. I don't care about him."

"What?" Jack coughed in surprise.

"Do whatever you want to him... because I'm not gonna let Daddy sell the resort! To you, or to anyone!"

"Very well," accepted Hope.

He then nodded at his guard, who then pushed the barrel of his gun into the left side of Jack's skull.

"Looks like I'm not the only greedy person in this room," the mogul laughed.

He released his grip on Lo's wrist, leaving her to favor it as he stepped out from behind the desk to get a better view.

"A lesson for you, super-spy! Next time you pick up a girl... make sure she's willing to do anything for you."

"Heh."

Hope noticed a smile form on Jack's face.

"I'll keep that in mind."

Jack quickly brought his hands together, palms facing each other, and thrust them upwards, underneath the barrel of the gun. The hastily assembled force was more than enough to knock the weapon out of the top of the guard's hand, despite his finger sitting right next to the trigger.

It flew a few feet straight up into the air, flipping end over end. Thinking quickly, Jack separated his hands, then reached up with his right one and plucked the firearm out of the sky. All before the guard could even react. Or any of the others, for that matter.

He then quickly grabbed the aforementioned bodyguard, wrapped his free arm around the front of his neck as he pulled him alongside, and then he took the newly acquired gun and placed it against his captive's right temple. The other guards pulled their assorted guns out of their holsters.

"What?" Hope gasped. "How did you?"

As he stood there stunned, Lo took this opportunity to let go of the phone and run over to Jack. She made it to his side without any attempt by Hope to impede her. And he wasn't happy about it.

"And what are **YOU** doing?" the enraged adult asked Lo.

"She ran to the safest place in the room," Jack answered for her. "Behind my back!"

Lo grasped the side of Jack's stomach with one hand and squeezed his opposing shoulder with her other as she stood behind him, only sticking her head out to glare at her former captor.

The guards all cocked their guns, and were about to fire...

"Don't shoot!" Hope shouted. "You might hit the girl!"

"That's right!" Lo smirked, blowing the mogul a raspberry for good measure. "Without me as a bargaining chip, Daddy will **NEVER** sign the resort over to you, you jerk!"

"Ahem," Jack coughed again. "I'm the spy. I'm supposed to say that."

"Oh? And aren't spies supposedly... um... not look like you stumbled down a mountain to get here?"

"Do you want to be rescued or do you want me to leave you with the money-hungry psychopath?" grumbled the exhausted spy.

Lo didn't need to stop to think of a reply, as she released her grip on Jack and made a beeline for the back door. Jack followed her, walking backwards with his hostage still acting as a shield.

"You'll never make it out of here alive!" Hope shook his fist in rage. "Never!"

"We'll see about that."

"The moment you drop my guard," the villain pointed out, "my men will drop you faster than a fly swatter comes down on a fly!"

"Ugh," Lo rolled her eyes. "You couldn't think of something better?"

She opened the sliding door, and ran out into the backyard. Jack backed all the way there, and watched the guards' eyes as they slowly advanced on him, their firearms still drawn. As they all squeezed into a single file line in preparation for stepping through the doorway, Jack saw his opening.

He released his grip on his hostage and pushed him forward as hard as he can. The men had no time to get out of the way, as the captive had been pushed so hard, he knocked them all of his feet, and a few guns out of their hands in the process. By the time someone could get to their feet, ready to shoot, Jack already had a good head start.

* * *

Seconds later, gunshots were being fired out of the house. Jack kept his head low as he ran away. At the same time, he was trying to stay out of the lights hanging above the now-empty pool area, as well as scan the area for Lo... who had disappeared from his sight.

He made it around the corner without getting hit, but he could hear both footsteps and flying bullets not far behind. He leaned against the wall, catching his brain and trying to ignore the pain he was feeling as all that running had made his open cuts widen.

"Damn it," he cursed. "What if she ran the other way? How could she have given me the slip? Doesn't she have people do everything for her? She shouldn't be fast enough to run away from me!"

Suddenly, Jack felt like a deer in the headlights. Literally.

He raised his gun-carrying hand to divert enough light away from his eyes so he could see what the source was.

It was a green all-terrain vehicle. And Lo was waving at Jack as she sat ecstatically in the driver's seat. Jack gritted his teeth as he made his way over and he hopped into the passenger side.

"Do you know how to drive?" he asked her.

Lo chuckled. She was an ace at operating motor vehicles.

"Do I know how to drive, he says."

She was about to start the vehicle when she came to a startling realization. She didn't have the keys! And to make matters worse, there didn't seem to be a keyhole in the side of the steering wheel, either.

"Where's the thing you put in the keys to start this thing? And the keys, for that matter?"

"Mother of Pearl... the dashboard!"

Jack didn't have time to wait for Lo to look for what he was trying to point out, so he lifted up his left leg and slammed the heel of his left shoe onto an unmarked, four-inch red button in the center of the dashboard. Upon hitting, the engine roared to life.

"It's a push-button start, lass!" Jack scolded her.

"Neat!" Lo exclaimed, missing Jack's snippy comment. "I should get Daddy to buy me one of these."

"Drive, woman, **DRIVE!**"

At that moment, the first of Hope's men turned around the corner. Upon seeing the headlights, they opened fire. Lo immediately shifted the car into reverse and slammed her right foot down hard on the accelerator. Jack was nearly thrown into the dashboard, but had put his hands out in front of him quick enough to prevent that.

Once Lo had backed the vehicle all the way out to the driveway, she spun the steering wheel hard, making the ATV spin around 180 degrees. The instant it was facing down the road she had been taken up earlier, she floored it once again.

"I think we're gonna escape!" Lo shouted.

**BANG!**

A bullet whizzed by, just mere inches from her left ear, and hit the side mirror, shattering the glass instantaneously.

"Keep down!"

Lo complied, letting her body slide down in the seat as far as she could while still being able to see over the steering wheel. Jack reached underneath, and as he expected, there was a mini-submachine gun taped to the dashboard's underside.

It was already loaded, so all Jack had to do was turn around, find a target and fire. He did the first and noted that they were being followed by three jeeps, each loaded with a driver and two shooters. He immediately opened fire on the closest one, aiming for the gunmen. The two ducked down to avoid getting hit, but the driver wasn't so lucky. Four bullets had gotten him, all in the right shoulder, and that was enough to cause him to shift his focus towards the excruciating pain he was feeling. No longer concerned with driving, the jeep drifted off the road and into a tree head-first.

Its engine exploded a couple seconds later.

"What's going on?" Lo asked as she kept her eyes forward.

"I'm saving your butt! Don't worry about it!"

Before Lo could take offense, Jack ducked down to avoid getting pelted by a constant spray of bullets.

"Saving my butt? Then how come I still feel as if my life is flashing before my eyes?"

Lo turned the steering wheel hard right, traversing a sharp curve without losing any speed. She heard the two jeeps behind her a few seconds later navigate that same turn without incident.

"Now you know how I feel after you were willing to let them **KILL ME**!"

"Oh, come on," Lo lightly chuckled. "I didn't mean it! You're a spy... you get out of hairy situations like this all the time?"

Jack glared at her.

"Alright, fine! I was being selfish! I put my life ahead of yours! Happy?"

Another round of bullets was fired from the trailing vehicles.

"Look, can I make it up to you later? **IF WE'RE STILL ALIVE!**"

Jack smiled, then got up on his knees on the seat so that he could return fire. By aiming not at their pursuers, but at the right front tire of the closest jeep. With just one shot, he took it out, resulting in the driver losing control and sending the vehicle off the side of the road, tumbling down the hill.

"Two down... one to go."

But before Jack could take aim at the last chaser, he got a taste of his own medicine when one of the remaining shooters punctured the right rear tire of the ATV.

**POP!**

Instantly, the ATV lost all rear traction, and Lo immediately felt the steering wheel jerk her hands to the left and off of the road. The off-road vehicle flew off the side of the road and started tumbling down the steep, tree-filled hill. It turned end over end as it descended into the flora and fauna and disappeared from sight.

The last surviving jeep stopped at the point where the ATV had gone off the road, and its occupants looked over the side to see if they could see if Jack or Lo were still alive.

After a few seconds of not being able to see any signs of life...

"There's no way those two survived that drop," one of the gunmen remarked.

The jeep then started backing up the road, towards where the first jeep that had crashed had gone off the path.

* * *

Lo finally felt herself coming to. There was a stinging sensation in the left side of her forehead as her eyes opened to the sight of a familiar face, though the lack of light made it difficult to see.

"The lass is alive!" he exclaimed, shouting to someone else in the area.

"It's... it's..." blabbered Lo.

"Well, hurry the bloody up, then!" shouted Jack from nearby. "Hope's men will be on us in two shakes of a dog's tail!"

"Alright! On your feet, my dear!"

As Lo was helped off of the ground, her eyes came into focus... and she finally remember the name of the muscled man pulling her up by the arms.

"Bruto! The, the... the fisherman from the boat!"

"Aye, so you remember my name?"

"Yes..."

Once Lo was standing upright, she forcefully pulled herself from Bruto's grip.

"The guy who watched me get handed off to some crazy psychopath who wants Daddy's resort **AND** just had his men try to kill **ME**? **YOU?**"

"Yeah..." Bruto replied sadly, as he looked away.

"And now you're trying to help me?"

Bruto sighed. "Look, this is hard enough as it is! Plus, I walked out on the only job I've had my entire life to take a boat and come and rescue you because your nagging ate away at my soul like a chomping piranha! Don't you think I feel bad enough already?"

Lo peered deep into Bruto's eyes, which were wavering a good bit. Very unlike a rugged outdoors-type like him. Upon seeing those, she could tell that he was being truthful to her, and her disdain for him floated away.

"I'm sorry," Lo apologized. "I know what it's like to lose everything you've ever had. Sure, getting kicked off of a boat isn't the same as being thrown out of the penthouse, but..."

Before she could finish her thought, which was starting to elicit an odd reaction from Bruto, she was cut off by an explosion. Bruto quickly tackled her to the ground to keep her from being hit by any airborne flaming debris.

It wasn't until Bruto got off of her a few seconds later that she realized that the explosion had come from the wreckage of the ATV that she suddenly recalled she had been driving just minutes ago. It also was the only source of visible light in the dark night.

"When did **THAT** get on fire?" Lo pointed at what was left of the ATV. "And how come no one's putting it out?"

"I'm a fisherman," deadpanned Bruto. "Not a fireman."

Suddenly, Jack walked up to the two of them, just as Bruto was pulling Lo to her feet for the second time in as many minutes.

"If you two are done having your little 'tea party,'" he glared at them, accentuating the last two words with air quotation marks, "surely those buggers have heard that explosion and we best be getting off of this island!"

"Right," Bruto agreed. "Let's go!"

Bruto led the way away from the wreckage, followed by Lo, and lastly Jack, who brought up the rear with his gun in hand.

* * *

It only took a few minutes to wrestle through the island's mini-jungle and arrive at the shoreline.

"Wait," Lo noted observantly, "this isn't the docks?"

"Of course not," Bruto said to her. "The docks are swarming with guards. You think I would've even gotten to you if I had landed there?"

Bruto then made his way to an abnormally large pile of seaweed and humongous tree leaves and started to tear it apart.

"What are you doing?" Lo asked as she walked over to him.

But after only working for about five seconds, it became instantly apparent that Bruto was uncovering a motorboat that was buried underneath the pile.

"Let's go," he prodded her vocally. "Ships don't unbury themselves!"

"But that's not how seaweed is used!" Lo exclaimed. "You put it on your skin to purify it! Not to hide dingy boats!"

"They're the same seaweed," grumbled Jack as he backed up beside Lo, with his gun still drawn. "Now help while I stand guard! We don't have much time!"

Lo gave in as she trotted over and helped remove the wet and slimy seaweed, as well as the moist human-sized tree leaves, from the boat. To help expedite the process, Jack dropped his guard and ran over to assist as well.

Once all of the leaves and seaweed had been taken off, Jack and Bruto lifted the boat off of the sand and carried it into the water. As they placed it down into the sea, Lo quickly spotted that there was only room for two people to sit.

A fact both men were well aware of.

"Go!" commanded Bruno. "I'll try to distract them!"

He tossed Jack the keys. The spy caught them, and moved to start the motorboat.

"Wait!" Lo tried to object. "You're not coming with us?"

"Nay. It's only a two-seater."

"But I'm sure..."

"You heard the man!" Jack shouted, trying to cut off any further debate. "Get in, Lauren!"

With that, Jack inserted the key into the ignition, and the boat's engine roared to life. Lo seemed determined to try and get Bruto to come along... but the burly man was having none of it, as he picked her up off of the ground and tossed her into the boat.

Jack responded to the act by reaching over to him with his gun, handle-first, sticking out.

"I trust you know how to use this."

Bruto nodded, then took the firearm.

"You're not seriously..." Lo began to scream.

"There's only two bullets left," Jack spoke over Lo, "so..."

"Last resort," Bruto completed the spy's thought. "Gotcha."

Bruto then ran back on shore, as Jack shifted out of park and slammed on the accelerator. The speedboat quickly pulled away, and Lo was powerless as she watched Bruto run back towards the jungle.

"He's a good man," Jack said aloud, snapping Lo out of her hopeless stare. "A good seaman. If anyone can survive out here, it's him."

"But Jack," propositioned Lo, as she tried to fight off tears, "what if... what if he..."

"He'll survive."

Satisfied but not completely confident in Jack's answer, Lo turned her head around and faced forward. Of course, given the darkness of night, the island quickly disappeared from sight, and both Jack and Lo began to think about their next move.

* * *

Eventually, the duo came across a cargo boat, whose crew was willing to give them a ride the rest of the way back to shore. A good thing, too, for when they learned they were several hours away from port, they began to thank the stars. There was no way there was enough gas on their borrowed speedboat to traverse that distance.

But at least they were safe and sound. And alive. For now.

* * *

The following morning, after getting some well-needed rest and nourishment, Lo was being treated by an underground, but trustworthy, doctor, who was carefully diagnosing her bumps and bruises.

As she received medical attention, Jack stood just outside the door. The door of a run-down shack, which lied in a very poor community filled with such dilapidated buildings. But their dismal surroundings didn't seem to bother either of them, even Lo, who was just glad to be back on land. And, more thankfully, safe from harm.

Jack, on the other hand, was in the midst of a phone call with his superior, as he was giving a rundown of everything that has happened so far. But before he could finish...

"Hold on there," Jack's boss, a British woman who sounded as if she was in her 60s, "I've just received a report from another one of our agents."

"What is it?" Jack asked. "Don't tell me... Hope managed to get Ridgemount to sign over the deed to Surfer's Paradise?"

"No... but it's the next worst thing."

"Next worst thing? What could that be, Nine-Nine-Nine?"

"Well, oh-six-seven... are you aware that Mr. Ridgemount has sent out Miss Ridgemount's co-workers out to bring her home?"

"I am now," Jack stated, both interested and appalled at this new development. "Why?"

"They had convinced him that they could find Miss Ridgemount and bring her home safely."

Jack quickly peeked around the corner, and saw that Lo's back was towards him. He started to walk away, making sure that she couldn't hear any of his conversation.

"Do they know the real reason I 'took' Lauren?"

"Negative," 999 replied. "They believe you kidnapped her."

"I see. Are they aware of the phone call between Ridgemount and Hope?"

"The agent we have tailing them believes they aren't. As far as we know, anyway."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, you see... the transmission we just received was sent half an hour ago. That was also the last time we had contact with him. He went off the grid shortly thereafter."

"Not good. Alright... what was his last known location?"

"Venice."

Jack was a bit dumbfounded.

"How did the kids end up in Venice?"

"We don't know. But it gets worse."

"Worse? Blimey, how can it get worse?"

"Fargo Hope has a summer home there. And once he learns that Miss Ridgemount's close acquaintances are snooping around..."

"He's going after them," Jack quickly concluded. "I need two tickets on the next flight to Venice. First class."

"Already securing them. But, are you sure you should let Miss Ridgemount tag along?"

"It was my mission to protect her! Plus, you think she's safe if I leave her alone, even here under police protection? Besides, having been with the girl for a day plus, I'm sure she'll insist on making the trip to Venice."

"Very well. Good luck, oh-six-seven."

**To be continued...**

**Author's Notes:**  
I'm inclined to think Lo is a good driver. After all, she wasn't the one who drove her jeep into the resort pool at that party she threw in the pilot episode. Besides, she has to be good at something. You know, other than spending her dad's money endlessly.

And I realize I screwed up when I didn't catch this last chapter, but the elder sailor's name is Bruto. For some reason, after a couple mentions in the last chapter, it changed to Bruno and just stuck. I don't know why I didn't catch that until a week ago when I had to finish writing this chapter and couldn't remember what his name was.

Chapter 6 next month! Other members of the cast show up! Yes!


	6. The Heiress, the Friend, and the Don

**"Where on Earth is Lauren Ridgemount?"**  
**Story Written by Freedom Fighter**

Lo hasn't seen her friends in a couple days. Time to fix that!

**Disclaimer:** The characters of 'Stoked' belong to Fresh TV, Inc., Teletoon, and Cartoon Network.

**-**  
**Chapter Six - The Heiress, the Friend, and the Don (02.28.11)**  
**-**

_The next day..._

Lauren Ridgemount had only been in Venice, Italy for a few short minutes, but in her mind she was ready to declare it as the best city she had even been to.

"**O... M... G...**"

Jack looked at her, noting that Lo was so ecstatic was so stunned that she could barely get letters to come out of her mouth, much less words.

"Aren't you loaded?" he asked her. "You mean your father never took you on vacation to Europe?"

"There was one time Daddy went to the UK to meet with a foreign investor who wanted to open up a beach resort as a franchisee. But that was a few years ago... and Daddy and the guy never could agree to the terms."

"What happened?"

"The resort still got made, but the investor decided to open as an independent. It didn't last... the place shuttered last year, I heard. Sigh... so was looking forward to one day sunbathing in the English Riviera."

The two walked further into the city, along one of its many narrow footpaths. As they trotted along, Lo marveled at all of the famous landmarks they passed, such as Saint Mark's Basilica, Doge's Palace, and...

"The Ponte di Rialto!" gasped Lo.

Lo was standing on the inner-city's most famous bridge, which passed right over the Grand Canal and was over four centuries old. She was entranced as she saw numerous gondolas passing under the bridge. Most belonged to locals and merchants, who found it easier to get around by traveling along the water. But a few were specifically reserved for tourists, who had paid handsomely to see Venice from a different point of view.

"Gondola rides are **SO** romantic. I **SO** have to go on one!"

"We're not here for sightseeing," Jack told her. "We're here to meet with some friends."

Lo became miffed upon being reminded of the purpose of their visit.

"I don't understand why we had to come here. Couldn't your friend have come to us in Africa?"

"No. No, they couldn't. Besides, I also came here to pick up an item that can only be found in abundance here."

"So you get to pick up some Italian knickknack in the real world, and I get to dream about riding in a gondola! That sounds totally fair."

"Enough with the sarcasm," Jack hushed her. "My friend has arrived."

Lo looked past Jack down to the end of the bridge and saw an superbly beautiful woman walking their way. She had jet black hair, which shined brilliantly in the sunlight even as it was weaved so close to her head that it looked as all her locks had been painted on. And she was wearing a yellow strapless ankle-length sundress that showed every single one of the perfectly-shaped curves on her body.

"Wow," Lo gasped, stunned. "I hope that's what I look like when I'm her age!"

But she was speaking loud enough for Jack's friend to hear her comment, so she decided to humor her.

"I'm sure you'll grow into a beautiful woman!" she told Lo. "You still have some growing to do. You're, like, twelve, right?"

"Twelve?" Lo grunted. "I'm fifteen!"

"Oh my!"

She reached into her purse and pulled out a business card, which she then gave to Lo. It read 'Adriano Carpaccio, Plastic Surgeon.'

"Not pressuring you or anything, but as a last resort... my older brother **REALLY** needs the business right now."

"Ahem," Jack coughed, grabbing both of their attentions.

"Sorry, Jack," the woman apologized.

As she stepped towards Jack, Lo looked at the card, then promptly ripped it in two and tossed it over the side of the bridge. She then crossed her arms over her chest as she glared into the woman's back.

"Now I know how she got that bod," Lo muttered under her breath. "Stupid artificial Barbie."

She stood there for about a minute, not paying attention to the conversation the woman and Jack had started up. They ignored her too, albeit briefly, before realizing that she should be included.

"Where are my manners?" Jack spoke up as he walked over to Lo. "Jemma, I'd like to introduce you to Lo Ridgemount, heiress to the Ridgemount hotel chain!"

"Ah!" Jemma squealed. "So **THIS** is the little girl you were charged to protect, Jack! I did not know you were in to the young, naive, and... small-chested!"

"Ugh!" screamed Lo. "At least **MINE** are real!"

The two of them glared at each other, looking as if they were ready to tear each other limb from limb right there and then on the bridge. But before anything could happen, Jack intervened and pulled Jemma away.

"I see you two are getting along," he quipped sarcastically. "I suppose our conversation should stay between the two of us..."

With that, Jack and Jemma moved towards the other end of the bridge. Lo did not seem to care being left alone as she turned and resumed staring out to the canal below, sulking as she rest her chin on the palms of her hand.

"I liked it better when I was the only girl in his life," she mumbled.

Her eyes scanned the canal, looking for something to take her mind off of Jack's unpleasant friend. When she couldn't find anything interesting, she turned around, walked across the bridge, and did the same thing on other side.

As soon as she did, she spotted a gondola unloading its passengers nearby. She saw three people, all about her age, being helped off of it and onto dry land. Two guys, both dark-skinned, got off first. They then turned around and extended their hands out to help the third, a red-haired girl with tanned skin, disembark.

Upon seeing the girl, Lo's jaw dropped in shock. Believing her eyes were playing tricks on her, she rubbed them with the back of her hands, then looked again, this time squinting to sharpen her focus.

Pink short sleeve shirt. Pink short shorts. Hair tied in a ponytail. Pearl necklace.

"It can't be..."

* * *

"Thanks for the tour!" complimented Emma, waving goodbye to the gondolier.

With that, the gondolier turned to give transport to another threesome waiting for a tour of Venice by water. Emma walked a few feet away, over to Johnny and Broseph, who were having a small conversation.

"Some romantic ride..." sighed Johnny.

"Chill, bro," Broseph said, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Summer's still young! You'll get plenty more chances."

"What are you two talking about?" Emma asked, having not heard any bit of the boy's chat.

"Nothing," they said in unison.

Emma was suspicious, but she decided not to pry any further. After all, it seemed like an innocent chat, and she had far more important things on her mind.

Such as finding her long lost friend.

"I can't believe Lo's not here either!" she exclaimed, lowering her head in disappointment. "I thought we'd find her here for sure!"

"That tip Mister Ridgemount gave us must've been phony," concluded Johnny. "And he was so confident after paying for plane tickets for us to come here."

"Too bad the waves here are far from choice," commented Broseph. "I would've loved to hit the surf, European-style."

"Well," sighed Emma, "I guess we have no choice. We've gotta call Lo's dad and tell him we came up empty. Oh... he's **SO** not gonna be happy with us."

"What can we do?" Johnny consoled her. "If she's not here, she's not here..."

The three started to walk off...

* * *

...but not before Lo had gotten a good look at them and realized who they were.

"Emma!" Lo shouted, trying to get her attention. "**EMMA!**"

But Emma and the boys were too far away for them to hear her, especially in the middle of the day in one of the busiest areas of Venice.

Yet Lo kept trying.

"Emma! Johnny! Broseph! **CAN YOU GUYS HEAR ME?**"

Soon, they were out of sight. But Lo wasn't going to give up. She had to let them know that she was okay.

"Don't worry, Emma!" Lo thought. "I'm coming!"

Lo started running towards the other side of the bridge. Along the way, she passed back Jack and Jemma, who were still in the midst of a conversation. One that ended promptly when they saw she was leaving without them.

"Lauren!" Jack called after her. "**LAUREN!**"

But she ignored him as she came to the first intersection after getting off of the bridge and turned right. At that moment, Jack had a revelation of his own.

"You don't think she..." he thought aloud.

* * *

Lo quickly sprinted three city blocks, stopping in her tracks upon reaching that point. As she bent over and caught her breath, she glanced to her right and saw the opening leading to the place where Emma and the others had gotten off their gondola.

"That's where they came from," she thought aloud. "The question now is... which way did they go?"

She had two options. Continue going straight, or turn left. Lo attempted to get her bearings.

"They were just on a gondola, so they probably have already searched the city. That means..."

Lo gasped in joy having figured out.

"Lo, you sun-kissed genius, you!"

With that, Lo made a left and started running, concluding that they would be heading to higher ground... and in the direction of the airport to head back home.

She ended up running another two blocks and was about to start on a third when she caught something out of the corner of her eye.

Broseph's golden afro!

She skidded to a stop, then began to make the turn.

"Bro-"

But the full pronunciation never came out, as someone grabbed her from behind, tugging her back around the corner. The stranger had one hand around her waist, and the other over her mouth, trying to keep her quiet. Lo desperately struggled to fight back, and was about to retaliate with her 'last resort' when her attacker turned her around so she was facing him.

To her relief... and disbelief, the guy who had grabbed her was Jack. Lo forced herself from her grip, prepared to give him a piece of her mind.

"What was **THAT** all about? Your friend wouldn't let you touch her fake boobies, so you try and cop a feel of mine?"

"Shhh!" Jack shushed, ignoring her unfounded accusation. "You want Fargo Hope to find out we're here?"

Lo gasped. "The man who wants to buy Daddy's resort? He's here? And **YOU** brought me here, on purpose? Whose side are you on anyway?"

"I don't know if he's actually here in Venice. But he has a summer home here. And that..."

He peeked around the corner, and so did Lo. They spotted Emma, Johnny, and Broseph, all with their backs towards Jack and Lo. And they were surrounded by three tall, burly men in suits. And two of them had guns pointed at their heads.

The one who wasn't, and was standing just in front and to the left of Johnny, was the largest of them all. He was black hair, but only on the sides, as his head was completely bald. And he was the one that Jack began to point at him.

"That is Rinaldo De Luca," Jack identified him. "He's the leader of the De Luca Italian mafia syndicate. He also happens to be Fargo Hope's second-in-command and right-hand man."

"That guy? But, but... he's gigantic!"

"And deadly. We're lucky he wasn't at Hope's ocean stronghold. I believe we'd no longer be along the living if he was there."

Lo gulped.

"But I don't understand. What does that goon want with Emma and the others?"

"We haven't quite figured that out yet. Regardless, if he takes them hostage, Hope would no longer need you. He'd just use them as a bargaining chip to get your father to give him Surfer's Paradise."

"We can't let that happen! The only person that can rightfully claim Surfer's Paradise other than Daddy is me!"

"Agreed."

Jack then proceeded to pull a few things out of his tuxedo jacket. A Bluetooth earpiece, a small Phillips screwdriver, a sealed white envelope, and an Italian flag pin, and put them all on the ground in front of Lo.

"Kind of a weird time to be giving me gifts. Not that I'm complaining..."

"Put the earpiece and the pin on," he commanded. "Quickly."

Lo nodded. She slipped on the earpiece over her left ear lobe, then attached the pin to her shirt, just underneath her right shoulder.

"Good girl."

She then handed him the screwdriver and the envelope.

"Listen to me very carefully... I'll only have time to say this once. Run back the street the way came down here, two blocks. Make a left, then a right down the first alley. That leads you into a street that dead ends right at the canal. Go there and hide until I call you with further instructions."

"You want me to... wait, what are you going to do?"

"Rescue your friends. That's all you need to know. Now... go!"

"But..."

"**GO!** Before we're discovered! And don't stop or look back until you get there, no matter what!"

Lo had no choice to comply. She started running, back across the street entrance, in complete view of Rinaldo De Luca for a brief second. The sound of her shoes clicking on the stone road drew the attention of De Luca and his two cronies.

"Is that..." De Luca uttered.

He peered past his captives and noted somebody running by. His eyes went wide went he recognized the purple flower in the passerby's hair.

"That... that was the Ridgemount brat!"

Emma, Johnny, and Broseph all gasped as they looked at each other.

"Could it be... **LO?**" they all shouted in unison.

De Luca pointed at one of his cronies and motioned for him to give chase. He complied, leaving only one henchman with his gun trained on the trio.

"Run, Lo!" Emma suddenly screamed. "**RUN!**"

Lo was just in range to hear her friend's loud plea, but she did not dare take a second to question her decision to follow Jack's orders. Instead, she kept running, as fast as her legs could carry her.

"Quiet, you!" De Luca shouted at Emma.

Emma, in fright, quickly wrapped her arms around Johnny's waist.

"Of all the times," Johnny thought, having finally succeeded in having Emma all over him, but knowing this was not the time or place to be proud for that.

"Can't we talk about this?" Broseph appealed. "Like over beaver tails or somethin'?"

But De Luca did not seem pleased with that friendly offer.

"You eat the tails of beavers? You Canadian teenagers are what is wrong with the world today!"

"Huh?" Broseph scratched his head, not getting the connotation that the mafia don had come up with. "But they're really good, man."

"**ACK!**"

The odd conversation was interrupted by the yelping of the man that De Luca had sent to chase after Lo. De Luca got even angrier at this new development, and reached into his inner shirt pocket to pull out his own handgun.

"It must be the guy that the boss said is with Ridgemount," the man thought to himself.

He quietly motioned for the other henchman to start making his way down the street to investigate. De Luca trained his gun on the teenage trio as he began to shout down the alleyway.

"I know you are there, you stinkin' spy!"

At the word spy, Emma slowly loosened her grip around Johnny, unsure of why their captor was shouting at the top of his lungs. And not at them, but at someone else who she figured was in hiding nearby.

"Mister Hope is not happy about you tearing up his island fortress! He is not pleased that you took away his bargaining chip!"

He went silent briefly, as Emma and company tried to figure out what he meant by that, while De Luca's henchman sneaked closer to the alley intersection.

"I know the Ridgemount heiress is with you! So you better turn her over to me! As much as I'd like to offer Hope these three to take her place, there's no guarantee that they have the same amount of value. And if they end up worthless to my boss, then they are worthless to me! So..."

The second henchman was only a few steps away from the corner.

"Give me Ridgemount now, or else!"

Emma, Johnny, and Broseph, with their backs turned away from where the henchman was heading, were not sure what was happening. That is, until...

"**GOTCHA!**"

The man, having reached the open end of the alley, turned to his right with gun drawn, pointing it forward. He stood there for a few seconds, but nothing happened.

"What's going on?" De Luca shouted at his man.

As De Luca put his focus on his crony, Broseph's eyes randomly darted upward and to the left... and he was shocked, to say the least, to see a man in a tuxedo crawling on the fire escape just above De Luca's head.

Broseph quickly elbowed Johnny in the side, getting his attention. Before Johnny could ask the reason why, he noticed that Broseph was looking at something, and his instincts told him to do the same. And upon seeing Johnny's head move, Emma also followed suit.

Soon, Johnny and Emma were seeing what Broseph was. Or, to be more precise, whom...

"Is that..." Johnny began to mouth.

"**YOU!**" Emma exclaimed loudly, pointing at the person up there.

"**WHAT?**" De Luca yelled.

He saw Emma's finger and quickly turned, ready to fire first and ask questions later. But the person jumped down before he could pull the trigger, and the two of them fell to the ground.

The tuxedo-clad man was Jack, and he had pinned De Luca's arms to the ground, including the one with the gun in it.

"It's you!" Emma remembered, pointing at him. "You're the guy who kidnapped Lo!"

"Quick!" Jack shouted at them. "Run! First left, then a right! **GO!**"

"**ARMAND!**" De Luca yelled down the alley.

The man at the other end of the alley looked back down, and upon seeing what was going on, immediately opened fire. Emma dived for the ground, hands on her head, just avoiding having the first bullet hitting her square in the noggin, which would have certainly killed her instantly. Johnny and Broseph had done the same, and they were lying on the ground next to her.

"**GO!**" Jack shouted again.

De Luca managed to clenches his unarmed fist and pull it upwards, where it connected with Jack's right cheek. The hard punch made Jack shout in pain, but it was not enough to knock him off of the mafia don.

Meanwhile, more shots were fired from the henchman, Armand, who was running back to help his boss. Johnny realized the dire situation they were in, as Broseph had followed Emma's lead and put his hands on his head, hoping to lay there and somehow stay out of the crossfire.

But Johnny, although he was scared as well, knew they had no chance at survival if they remained there. So he quickly got to his feet, pulled Emma and Broseph to their feet, and tugged them down the side street.

"Dude!" Broseph shouted, in a panic.

"Johnny!" Emma did likewise.

"Just **RUN**!" Johnny yelled.

Jack continued to tussle with De Luca, but he had more problems as Armand started firing at him. The spy jumped off of the mafia boss in the nick of time and quickly bolted for cover behind a nearby dumpster. De Luca raised his armed hand and fired two rounds, but both of them missed the mark as Jack reached the bin safely.

"Sir?" Armand ran over to check on him, with one eye directed on where Jack was hiding.

"I'm fine," De Luca pushed his henchman away. "Those three kids are getting away! Take care of them!"

"Right, boss!"

Armand turned his attention to the escaping teenagers, and saw that they were about to reach the next intersection. Broseph had taken the lead, running under his own power, while Johnny continued to tug Emma along, still too panic-stricken to keep pace without help.

Seeing the weakness, Armand again aimed for Emma's head. But just as he was about to pull the trigger, Jack peeked out from the dumpster and, having taken out his own standard-issue firearm out of his tux, fired one shot at the henchman.

Jack was going for a shot to the head, but his aim was slightly off, and instead, the bullet nicked him in Armand's shooting shoulder.

"Gah!" Armand winced, as he abandoned his own kill shot and instead run for cover, clutching the area he was shot at with his free hand.

As he saw his crony run one, De Luca went the other, ducking behind the side of the building across from Jack, giving him just enough cover to keep either of them from firing on each other without coming out.

"Armand!" De Luca yelled. "Go!"

De Luca then revealed himself and fired several rounds at Jack's location, giving his henchman cover fire so he could give chase.

* * *

Meanwhile, as instructed, after making a left, Johnny, Broseph, and Emma made a right. They continued down the alley, which had an awkward acute blind left turn at the end of it. The trio turned the corner... and gasped in shock.

The other end of the alley was closed off by a tall fence, leaving them trapped.

"Oh man!" Broseph shouted, turning to Johnny. "We're cooked!"

**To be continued...**

**Author's Notes:**  
Bum bum** BUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!**

If you were expecting a break after the previous action-filled chapter, you were wrong! Emma, Johnny, and Broseph came looking for Lo, and now they're probably wishing they had found her somewhere else.

So, what happens next? Can you guess? Do Lo's friends get out of Venice alive? You'll have to come back for the next chapter to see how it all plays out!


	7. Italian Incident

**"Where on Earth is Lauren Ridgemount?"**  
**Story Written by Freedom Fighter**

Hey... six months later, and I'm finally back to finish this thing! Good, too, because I believe last time, I left you all on a major cliffhanger.

Anyway, this is Chapter 7. There are two chapters left after this one, and you'll see them both next week. If any of the cast gets through this ordeal in Venice, of course!

**Disclaimer:** The characters of 'Stoked' belong to Fresh TV, Inc., Teletoon, and Cartoon Network.

**-**  
**Chapter Seven - Italian Incident (08.22.11)**  
**-**

Johnny, Emma, and Broseph had just escaped from their captor, Italian don Rinaldo De Luca. But one of his men were right on their tail, and he would surely bring their lives to an end if he found them. But the trio, having followed the instructions of the man who had helped them escape, even though he was the same guy they believed kidnapped Lo, had just hit a dead end.

A dead end made of a tall chain-link fence.

"What now?" Emma asked. "We're dead! Literally!"

"I knew this wasn't a good day to get out of bed!" remarked Broseph. "Now, I'll never see my bed ever again!"

"Stay calm!" Johnny told them. "We're gonna find a way out of this!"

* * *

Lo was hiding in the shadows, trying to stay out of sight in case any of De Luca's men had chased her. Suddenly, she heard a voice in her ear.

Jack's voice.

"Lo! Can you hear me?"

Lo snapped to attention and responded.

"I'm here! Where are you?"

"Never mind that! Remember the screwdriver I gave you?"

Lo glanced down in her left hand and saw the item in question.

"Near you there's a drainage grate that leads into the canal. Do you see it?"

Lo quickly scanned her surroundings. It did not take her long to find the grate in question.

"Yes! I see it, Jack!"

"Good! Use the screwdriver to undo the screws. Your friends are on the other side!"

"They're **WHAT**?"

Like a madman, Lo began unscrewing the grate as fast as she could. Once she had pulled out the first screw, she yelled into the pipe.

"**EMMA! EMMA!**"

* * *

"**EMMA!**"

Emma's ears perked up upon hearing her name.

"**CAN YOU HEAR ME, EMMA?**"

"Do you hear that?" Emma asked aloud as she tried to pinpoint where the voice was coming from. "That's Lo's voice!"

"What?" Johnny gasped in surprise.

"**EMMA!**" Lo yelled again.

Emma eventually pinpointed that Lo was shouting from inside a nearby draining pipe, to which there was no cover. She got down on all fours and took a peek inside.

"**LO! ARE YOU IN THERE?**"

* * *

On the other side, Lo felt as if she wanted to jump for joy. But she knew she did not have time for it now... especially if she wanted Emma and the others to survive.

"**EMMA, QUICK! FOLLOW THE SOUND OF MY VOICE! HURRY!**"

She then set to work to undo the other screws on the grate...

* * *

"Guys!" Emma looked at the boys. "This way!"

She began to crawl into the grate, and Johnny and Broseph gathered on either side of her.

"Dude," Broseph quickly observed. "I don't think me and my fro's gonna fit in there."

"It's going to have to!" Johnny shouted. "We don't have any other options!"

Once Emma was all the way in, Johnny motioned for Broseph to go next. He put his hands over his head to keep his fro as flat as possible, then began to crawl into the pipe.

"Just relax and keep your legs moving forward!" advised Johnny. "If you keep moving, you won't get stuck!"

"Got it, guy!" Broseph said in response.

* * *

"Come on, come on!" Lo kept telling herself. "What good are friends if they're dead?"

She had just finished undoing the third screw and had moved on to the last one. She got it about halfway out, then tossed the screwdriver aside and just pulled the grate out of the wall. She then got down on all fours and leaned forward to stick her head inside to see how close Emma and the others were.

"Em- **OW!**"

But she ended bumping heads with Emma, who was right there at the exit. Lo immediately pulled back out, rubbing her forehead with the fingers on her left hand as Emma started crawling out on that end of the pipe.

"Unh!" groaned Emma, before looking up at Lo. "A little help?"

Lo bent down, grabbed her friend by the arm, and pulled her the rest of the way out. Once Emma was up and on her feet, the two girls shared a hug.

"Oh, Lo! Am I glad to see you again!"

"Me too! When we get out of this, we **SO** need to catch up on the last few days!"

* * *

Back on the other side, Broseph was almost completely in the pipe when Johnny began to hear footsteps coming their way.

"Crud! He's coming, he's coming!"

Johnny began crawling into the pipe, almost directly behind Broseph, trying to get out of sight before their pursuer could see their escape route.

"Go, go!" Johnny shouted, pushing on the upper part of Broseph's legs.

"Dude, watch the hands!" Broseph shouted, feeling very uncomfortable.

"Oddness later! Trying to stay alive, now!"

* * *

"We saw that guy who kidnapped you!" Emma told Lo. "For someone who's a grade-A jerk and a sleaze ball..."

"I promise to explain the sitch later," Lo cut her off, "but now's not the time!"

"A little help, betties?" Broseph's voice interrupted.

The girls looked down and saw Broseph's fro beginning to emerge, as well as one of his arms. The other, well...

"I think I'm stuck!"

"**AAH!**" the girls screamed. "Not good, not good!"

Lo and Emma reached down, grabbed a part of Broseph's arm, and started pulling as hard as they could.

"Pull!" shouted Emma. "**PULL!**"

Inside the pipe, Broseph felt the girls pulling on his arm, and at the same time, Johnny trying to push Broseph out by using his own hands, which were pressed against his butt cheeks.

"Come on!" Johnny shouted. "I don't wanna die in a drainage pipe halfway on the other side of the world!"

With the trio's combined efforts, though, they succeeded in freeing Broseph from the pipe. Well, at least enough so that he got his trapped arm unstuck and he could crawl the rest of the way out under his own power.

"Eeeewww..." the girls winced, seeing that there was dirt and mold and perhaps other things now on his hair, having been picked up as if his fro was a mop.

"What?" Broseph shrugged in confusion. "Something in my hair?"

"A **LOT** of somethings," pointed out Emma, prior to covering her mouth in an attempt to keep herself from gagging.

Once Broseph was clear of the exit, Johnny crawled out with ease.

"Lauren!" Lo heard Jack's voice from her earpiece. "Make a break for the pier! Jemma's waiting for you!"

"Got it!"

As Johnny got to his feet, Lo grabbed Emma by the arm and started pulling her in the direction of the pier.

"We've got to go! Now!"

Emma let her friend pull her away, and the boys followed them without question.

* * *

Meanwhile, their pursuer, Armand, had found the open pipe which they had crawled too. He immediately recognized that he was too big to fit in, so he started running back out of the dead-end alley, having to take the long way around to catch his prey.

* * *

The four teens turned the corner, returning to the pier where Emma and the guys had gotten off their tour gondola earlier. And sure enough, Jemma was waiting for them in a white speedboat. The boys ran ahead and hopped in first, and then they turned to help the girls aboard. Once all four of them were on, Jemma quickly reached for the throttle lever and pushed it all the way forward. The boat took off like a rocket, reaching its top speed in just a few seconds. Jemma took hold of the wheel and guided the boat into the tight, narrow waterways.

"I can't believe it!" Johnny shouted with relief. "We're alive! We're alive!"

"Don't get too excited," Jemma warned them. "As long as we're on their turf, we're not safe."

"I'm just glad to see you safe and sound!" Emma said, as she wrapped her arms around Lo and hugged her again.

"And so will Mister Ridgemount," added Johnny, "once we tell him that we've found you!"

"Yeah, guys," Lo stopped him there. "About that..."

Before she could explain their situation, their waterway merged with another, and out of that side passage emerged Jack, riding a jet ski that he had happened to borrow in order to escape. He was wearing an all-black safety vest, which he proceeded to unbuckle with one hand while keeping his other on the handlebars.

"Lauren!"

"Jack!"

The two water vehicles were now side by side, running the same speed as they continued to traverse the waterways.

"Jump!" Jack shouted at Lo. "Hurry!"

"What? Are you serious?"

"Is he serious?" repeated Johnny.

"Couldn't we stop first?"

"We don't have time for that! Jump!"

Lo gulped, then glanced to her friends, then back at Jack. Ahead, they were barreling towards a T-intersection, where they had to turn left or right. Lo was debating what to do, and that worried Emma.

"You're not seriously thinking of..."

"Tell Daddy I'll be home soon."

With that, Lo jumped from the deck of the moving speedboat and onto Jack's still-in-motion jet ski. She landed on her butt, just behind the seat, and almost slid right off. Jack had reached back in the nick of time to save her, and with one arm, he pulled her back up. He then had to redirect his attention to driving, as the intersection was upon them. The jet ski turned left, while the motorboat went right.

"**LOOOOOOO!**" Emma screamed from the back of the boat.

Lo looked back with worry, seeing her best friend scream her name. But she was quickly out of hearing range before she could mount a response.

"Don't worry," Jack reassured Lo. "Jemma will get them to safety. Besides, now that De Luca knows you're here, he'll forget about them and send all of his men after us!"

"Man," groaned Lo. "For once, it sucks to be the desirable one!"

They reached another T-intersection, and this time Jack turned right. Good thing, too, because to their left were three jet skis, two of them being piloted by De Luca's men, and the third by the don himself.

"Take the bars, lass!" commanded Jack.

Lo quickly climbed around Jack and grabbed a hold of the handlebars. Once she was in front of her, Jack hastily undid the rest of the buckles on his vest and took it off. He then gave it to Lo.

"Put this on!"

Lo complied, putting it on one arm at a time while her other kept a hold of the bars. As that was happening, Jack turned around so that he was facing his pursuers.

"Kill the spy!" De Luca ordered, as he pulled out his handgun.

His henchmen also pulled out their guns, and immediately those two opened fire. Jack slid his firearm out of the side of his pants and started returning the fire. Lo instinctively lowered her head, keeping it down while continuing to guide the boat through the water.

"Take this!" bellowed Jack.

He shot one of the pursuers in the arm, and he was forced to let go of his handlebars and back out of the chase. But the other henchman fired a shot that zipped past Jack and hit Lo in her right side, just a few inches above her waist.

"**UNH!**"

"It's okay!" Jack told her without looking back. "You're wearing a bulletproof vest! You'll be fine!"

Lo winced, still feeling the pain of being shot even though the vest had done its job and kept it from piercing her skin.

"But what if one of those jokers hits me in the head?"

"Just keep your head down like a good girl and that won't happen!"

Lo gritted through the pain and drove them through a series of sharp turns, the distance between them and De Luca and his men great enough that they had lost sight of them. But once they had emerged from there, Lo looked back and saw them reappear once again. To make matters worse, they were coming into a wide-open area where there was a lot of gondola traffic, as well as other boats parked along the sides of the channel. Screams could be heard from locals and tourists alike as panic set in and they all fled the scene, to be replaced with machine gun-wielding, sharply-dressed mafia men.

"We're gonna die!" Lo began repeating upon seeing their dire situation. "We're gonna die!"

"**OPEN FIRE!**" De Luca shouted.

Without warning, Jack jumped off of the jet ski and forcefully pulled Lo off with him. Dozens and dozens of bullets rained down on the jet ski, many hitting the engine and killing it instantly. It slowed to a stop as De Luca came upon it. All of the henchmen in the surrounding area commandeered some nearby boats and made their way out to him.

"Find them! **FIND THEM!**"

A few dived into the water, not caring that in doing so, they were ruining suits that cost them several hundred dollars each, as they searched for Jack and Lo both above and under the water.

* * *

But just a couple hundred feet away, Jack emerged in a nearby side canal, swimming into it. He let go of Lo, as it was too narrow for them to proceed side-by-side. But she got the hint, and followed after him. They eventually reached a part where the water became shallow, so they got up onto their feet and walked the rest of the way out.

Staying along the back alleys, they eventually escaped from the city and out of De Luca's clutches.

* * *

The pair hitched a ride, with the help of another local contact of Jack's, and they made their way to the city of Verona, an hour and a half's drive away. They shacked up in a small, Romanesque apartment in the downtown area, though a few blocks away from the tourist-heavy areas.

Inside their third-story abode for the night, Lo was in the midst of washing of all of the sweat, dirt, and germs off of her body as she laid in a bathtub full of water. Her entire body was submerged with the exception of her head and the upper portion between that and her chest. Her head was resting against the porcelain top, her eyes closed as she faced up at the ceiling.

"I thought this day would never end," Lo thought to herself. "And all this because some pompous big-shot wants to buy out my... I mean, Daddy's, resort!"

She took a deep breath as she attempted to clear her head and recount the events of the day.

"And he was willing to have the mafia kill my friends to get to them? That's beyond low! I swear, when I inherit Surfer's Paradise, the first thing I'm gonna do is make sure lowlifes like him are run out of the business!"

Again, Lo took another deep breath. In doing so, she did not hear or notice the door to the bathroom open. Or Jack as he walked in.

"I wonder... how did Emma and the others know we'd be in Venice? Did Jack tell them? Or did they have someone help them? Speaking of which... I hope they're all okay."

As if he had heard Lo's thoughts, Jack answered them.

"Jemma got them out of Italy. She made sure they caught a flight safely back to Canada."

Lo opened her eyes and turned just in time to see Jack walk away from the nearby sink counter, having left some clothes for her to change into afterwards.

"All they know," Jack continued with his back to Lo, "is that you went with me of your own free will, and that I enlisted your help in taking down someone who has it in for your father. It's better this way... no need to endanger them any further..."

With that, Jack left the room, closing the door behind him. A few seconds later, Lo's face became flush with redness after coming to a startling realization.

"**AAAAAHHHHHH!**"

She lowered herself into the tub, covering her chest up with her arms and submerging it, leaving only her head above water.

* * *

20 minutes later, Jack was smiling as he sat a table, sipping a cup of Earl Grey tea. Not just because of the tea, but also because he loved the silk, navy blue chemise that he had picked out for Lo. The one she happened to be wearing as she stomped into the room.

"You look lovely this evening, Miss Ridgemount," Jack complimented her. "It fits you well."

Lo stopped in front of him, putting one hand on her hip and the other alongside it, running down her thigh. The bottom end of the chemise was fairly short, as it ended only a few inches below her thighs.

"What's the big idea?" she asked.

"What?" Jack shrugged. "You said you were an extra small, my dear."

"Not **THIS**! Although I like the fabric, genuine silk, and how it clings to me... but I'm talking about the bathroom! **HOW MUCH DID YOU SEE?**"

Jack let out a little chortle as he sat there, in a purple satin robe, before getting up with his cup in hand and starting to walk towards the hallway and to his bedroom for the night.

"You're inferring that there was anything to see, princess."

Lo gasped, taking that to mean he did see pretty much everything, so she picked up an empty teacup and threw it at Jack's head. But her aim was off, so it ended up smashing upon hitting the wall next to the doorway of his bedroom instead.

"Jerk!"

Jack closed the door behind him, and upon doing so, whipped out his cell phone. He got on speed dial to reach his desired number.

"You home?"

Jack waited for whomever was on the other end to give a response, and then he replied...

"Very well. I'll be there in 30."

* * *

Half an hour later, Jack drove a 2010 yellow Lamborghini Murciélago up a cobblestone driveway leading to a villa just a few miles outside of the city. He got out, lifting up the scissor doors to exit the vehicle, then closed them back down before heading for the front door. He had changed into an all-black tuxedo with a bow tie, and he was carrying a bouquet of multi-colored roses as he walked up the pathway to the front door.

"Alright," Jack told himself after ringing the door bell, "this should be just a simple information exchange and..."

He stopped upon hearing the lock on the door being undone. It then swung open, and he was greeted by the sight of Jemma, wearing nothing but a fire engine red negligee that left very little to the imagination.

"Oh, Jack," Jemma cooed, "aren't you a little overdressed?"

Jack playfully fired back. "Aren't you a little under?"

The two then locked lips, letting their emotions dictate their actions. They continued to do so as Jack picked Jemma off of the ground, carried her inside, and kicked the front door closed behind them.

Soon enough, they had made it to her bedroom, and Jack was already in the process of undressing, having already undone his bow tie and tossing it aside back in the hallway, as well as his jacket. He started to undo all of the buttons on his white dress shirt as Jemma lied down on top of her bed. She sat there, waiting for him to finish... but he decided to keep his shirt on after completely unbuttoning.

"It's no fun if I show all my cards at once," he said with a smirk.

Jemma giggled as Jack climbed onto the bed and positioned himself over her. His lips then met hers once again, as they continued their make-out session.

* * *

Lo opened her eyes, frustrated that she could not get to sleep. She pulled her left hand out from underneath the covers of her bed and turned on the lamp on the nightstand next to her. She sat up, still dressed in the silk chemise that Jack had given her earlier - not that she had any choice - and thought about what she could do to pass the time.

She felt as if she wanted to call her parents back home. To assure them that she was fine and that she would be home soon. But she did not know if she could call long distance from where she was. Still, she tossed the covers aside and got out of bed, giving herself more time to contemplate her decision as she went to locate the phone in the apartment.

She exited her bedroom and started making her way to the kitchen. Once she got there, she saw a note taped to the refrigerator. Lo rolled her eyes.

"Sheesh! What does he think I am, a little kid?"

Jack's voice emanated in her head as she read the note to herself.

"Lauren... I'm going to an acquaintance's house to help us arrange for covert transport to the UK. My number's below in case of an emergency... do not go outside the apartment for any reason!"

She crumpled up the note and tossed it over her shoulder and onto the floor. She wandered over to the other side of the kitchen, and found the wall-mounted telephone begging for her to use it. But as she approached it, something else caught her attention out of the corner of her eye... and it made her gasp.

"What... is... **THAT? EEEEEEEEEE!**"

**To be continued...**

**Author's Notes:**  
So what do you think Lo found? Something good? Or something bad?

Also, you're probably wondering... how come Reef and Fin weren't with Emma and the guys? You'll find out that answer in the two-part finale, which starts with a trip to the UK, and then... who knows? Well, I do, but the only way you'll find out is to check out the last two chapters of "Where on Earth is Lauren Ridgemount?" next week!


	8. Name Game

**"Where on Earth is Lauren Ridgemount?"**  
**Story Written by Freedom Fighter**

So, yeah... one week. It's been five months. Ouch.

Also, I wanted to finish this tonight, but things didn't work out, as it always seems to be the case with the story. So, this is just the first half of the finale. Second half coming soon. Sooner than another five months, I super, super promise!

**Disclaimer:** The characters of 'Stoked' belong to Fresh TV, Inc., Teletoon, and Cartoon Network.

**-**  
**Chapter Eight - Name Game (01.30.12)**  
**-**

Lauren could not believe her eyes! It was the most beautiful thing she had seen in days, despite all the exotic locales she had been to.

"A 48-inch flat screen TV?" she squealed. "Oh yeah!"

She leaped onto the sofa, found the remote control on a nearby table, and turned the TV on.

"Never thought I'd be saying this, but I'm **SO** glad to be able to watch my shows!"

But Lo's enthusiasm quickly faded when she realized...

"Still, it's not as huge as the one back home in the penthouse."

And...

"What the? I can't understand a word they're saying!"

She was watching a young adult couple talking to each other while sitting in a park at night. They were speaking Italian. Naturally, though...

"I forgot I'm in Italy! They must be speaking Italish or somethin'."

But things got a little better when the on-screen couple leaned in towards each other and engaged in a very intimate, lip-smacking kiss.

"Oh, never mind! Their speaking the language of love! Everyone understands that!"

Suddenly, Lo felt and heard her stomach rumble. She groaned as she recalled it had been awhile since she last ate.

"I'm famished! But Jack said to not go outside, for my own safety!"

She sat up on the sofa and started looking around the room for something to eat. She did not see anything, but found the next best thing.

A delivery menu for a nearby restaurant.

* * *

Back out in the countryside...

Sounds of lip smacking could be heard coming from atop the queen-sized bed in the room. That was accompanied by the sounds of a vibrating object... one that made the seemingly one heavy-set shadow on the bed turn into two smaller ones. The figure on top reached for the aforementioned object, while the other pulled up the bedsheets to cover herself.

The first groaned upon picking up the object and looking down at the display.

"Nooo..." he exclaimed, with a worried gasp.

He reached for the lamp and turned it on, then hopped out of bed. He started scanning the room for his pants as he answered his phone.

"Jack!" shouted Lo, who was on the other end of the line. "I'm in trouble! **HELP!**"

The line then went dead.

"I knew this wasn't a good idea."

Jack found his clothes, picked up, and rushed to put them on as he headed out of the room and to the front door. Jemma sat up in bed, confused and concerned about her lover's sudden exit.

* * *

Half an hour later, Jack's Lamborghini screeched to a halt in front of the ground-level entrance to the apartment where he had left Lo. But as he got out, he saw Lo marching towards him, with an exasperated look on her face - and dressed in her silk chemise and a pair of sandals and nothing else.

"About **TIME**!" grumbled Lo.

"What's the emergency? And why are you outside when I specifically told you not to..."

Lo pointed to her left, where a male teenager wearing an apron over a tuxedo was standing. He had in hand a makeshift cardboard box.

"I ordered a pizza!"

Jack shook his head. "I can see that. Lo, there's no such thing as pizza being delivered to your door in Italy!"

"That's what they told me, too! And yet... there he is!"

Jack marched over, obviously not pleased.

"I thought you were in danger! That phone was to be used for emergencies **ONLY**!"

"This **IS** one, Jack! I don't have any money, remember?"

Jack stared at Lo for a few seconds before giving in and reluctantly pulling out his wallet. Jack went back over to the 'delivery boy,' took a peek at the receipt, and then paid him exact change.

"Grazie! [Thank you!]"

Jack took the pizza 'box' and started walking away.

"Che? Nessun suggerimento? [What? No tip?]" asked the 'delivery boy.'

"Devi guardare un mezzo nudo straniero per mezz'ora! [You got to stare at a half-naked foreigner for half an hour!]"

Jack handed the box to Lo and then ushered her back inside. Once they were safely back in their borrowed apartment, Jack resumed scolding Lo.

"What did I tell you before I left? Do **NOT** go outside, do **NOT** answer the door for anyone, and do **NOT** draw attention to yourself!"

"FYI, you only said the first thing! Don't try to pin all that other stuff on me!"

Lo walked to the kitchen, having decided that their conversation was over. But it was not.

"Is there something I'm not getting? You fail to grasp the reality of the situation you're in!"

"What I fail to grasp is the location of a plate in this place!" Lo shouted as she searched for the cupboard.

"Are you really that daft, Lauren? After New York, Johannesburg, and even Venice just a few hours ago, you're still that lackadaisical about your own safety?"

Lo finally located a clean plate and placed it on the counter.

"Oh, pish posh!" she said as she opened the pizza 'box.' "It's not like I walked down to the corner store by myself or something foolish like that! Wait, what am I saying? Me, stepping foot in one of those? **EEW!**"

She then reached down to pick up a slice of pizza and instantly came to a realization.

"Rats! It's cold!"

"Will you listen to me?" Jack shouted as Lo began cutting into her slice with her knife. "You've got a megalomaniac who wants to take over your family's resort, who was willing to use you as leverage and for who else knows what, and is bent on doing whatever it takes to achieve world domination! And yet here you are, casually strutting about like you're on vacation, as if you have nothing to worry about! Seriously, lass, if you are that set on putting yourself out in the open, then I should've never bothered rescuing you!"

Jack was seething mad, ready to give up on Lo. And yet here she was, munching on cold pizza willingly because her hunger overpowered her want to eat something warm, and she was completely fine with it.

He settled for trotting over to the couch, sitting down on it, and burying his face in his hands. He sighed deeply as he contemplated his next move, if there was any he was willing to make. Lo stood in the kitchen, frowning as she wondered if she had done something wrong.

"J-Jack?"

Jack remained still, not responding to Lo's calls for him. Getting that she was being ignored, which she never liked happening to her, she suddenly was the one who became enraged!"

"Fine! Stay there and sulk! Ha! Some secret agent you are!"

With that, Lo grabbed a second slice of pizza to put on her plate before marching off to her sleeping quarters. A few seconds later, Jack heard the door to Lo's room slam shut.

* * *

Later that night, Lo was in a restless mood. She had been unable to get much sleep, as she was tossing and turning in bed.

"Oh, why can't I sleep?" she groaned. "Other than the fact that these sheets obviously have far less than a 900 thread count..."

She stared at the ceiling for a few minutes, trying to come up with a reasonable answer. But all she could think about was what Jack had said just hours ago.

"I know Jack was right, but... but what if I wanna pretend he's not? I mean... it's not wrong to want all of this to be over, is it?"

She began to think about her family, friends, co-workers, and the resort. It suddenly hit her that she missed them all a lot. Never in her wildest dreams did Lo ever foresee a date with a cute guy turning into an international incident in which her future, or rather, the future of the Ridgemount legacy, was in their hands.

"I want to just go home, but I know this won't go away if I do that! Not until that sleaze, Fargo Hope, is done away with!"

Lo sat up in bed, and she had a determined look on her face.

"That does it! There's only one course of action to take here! And that is..."

* * *

"Jack, we need to have a talk!"

It was the next morning, and Lo was standing next to Jack at the ticket counter at Valerio Catullo Airport, securing tickets for safe passage out of Italy.

"Funny time to have one, considering the quiet time we had on the drive here."

Jack then turned to the attendant and thanked her...

"Grazie!"

...and then he started heading away, with Lo keeping pace alongside him.

"You know," stated Jack, "I had a lot of time to think about your actions last night..."

"I realize my actions last night were, like, not cool..." admitted Lo.

"...and I've come to accept the fact that I've put you in such an undesirable position that you never wished be set upon you..."

"...and I know I was wrong to put myself in such a vulnerable pinch, but I'm just so tired from, like, all this running..."

"...and I've decided that this must end, posthaste!"

"...and it may not be what I want to do, but I know it's what I must do."

Both of them took a deep breath, and then shouted, simultaneously...

"I don't want to send you home!"

"I don't want you to send me home!"

They both froze, taken aback as they realized what the other had said.

"You don't want to go home?"

"You weren't going to send me home?"

Jack turned to look at Lo.

"I could go home," Lo proclaimed, "but that would not stop that jerk or his goon squad from continuing to come after me or hassling Daddy! Besides, I thought I made it clear that the only person allowed to hassle him is me!"

Jack flashed a smug smile. "I see."

"You dragged me into this, Jack, and you're not dragging me out of it! I'm not going back to Surfer's Paradise until Fargo Hope is behind bars! That... that... that... say, what do you call a person who tries to unlawfully take someone else's property?"

"You mean an extortionist?"

"Oh, good, because I was about to say contortionist, even though it didn't sound right."

"Um, yes. Sure."

"So, why you just standing there like a bump on a log? Come on, come on! If those tickets you bought weren't for Canada, then tell me! Where are we going?"

"Well, my dear Lauren, I figure that it's time that we stop running with our tails between our legs! It's time to go on the offensive! And to do that, we need to get some new intel, as well a few new toys!"

"Right! So... off to the North Pole!"

"England."

"Off to England!"

* * *

A couple hours later, Jack and Lo's commercial flight landed at Gatwick Airport, near London. They had just gotten through customs and were on their way to meeting Jack's contact. But...

"Look at all the shops they have around here!" exclaimed Lo as they walked through the terminal. "I'd look so hot in that dress! And that purse shines as bright as my silver two-piece! And... no way! They have a place that sells caviar?"

"Yes, yes, I know everything here is fabulous," stated Jack, "but we have a tight schedule to keep!"

"Oh, come on, Jack! It's your fault I didn't bring any extra clothes! You owe me a shopping splurge!"

"You had one in Johannesburg. And we all remember how that one turned out!"

"Hey! That sundress was chic! Plus, nothing happened until after I got back. And all that was your fault, anyway."

"My... look, like I said, we don't have time! Once we've taken care of our business, then maybe we find you a new outfit.

"I'm surprised we haven't been jumped yet. Given we're here. Out in the open. Plainclothes..."

"I get it!"

Lo went silent. But that was short-lived, as she spotted...

"They have a surf shop here? Get out!"

Before Jack could say anything, Lo bolted for the entrance. Jack had no choice but to let her go.

"Fine. You have ten minutes!"

"Don't fret! I'll be back in seven!"

* * *

Seven minutes - plus seventy more - later...

"You're late!"

Jack and Lo finally met with the former's contact. It was actually someone Lo had seen before...

"Hey, it's trench coat guy I saw from the car from Queens!"

"Delighted," the man said, albeit with a hint of sarcasm.

He then smiled as he saw Jack holding four shopping bags.

"Heh heh... someone's whipped!"

"Hush, you!"

"At least I know why you were delayed. A will not be happy."

Lo cut in. "A? Really? What kind of a name is A?"

"We'd best be going," continued the man, ignoring Lo's question. "The situation's changed since you got off the ground in Verona. I'll brief you on the way."

"Very good."

They started heading for the exit, but stopped when they saw that Lo was not following them.

"Let's go, Lauren," Jack barked.

"No! How do I know this isn't another trap?"

The other agent rolled his eyes. "You cannot be serious..."

"Lauren," Jack said as he walked back over to her. "You said you remember him from New York. So you know you can trust him."

"How? I 'saw' him. I never got out of the car and formally met him. And besides, that was a few days ago! How do I know he hasn't, like, become a traitor and is actually now working for the other side?"

"Because," the agent explained, sternly, "if I was a double agent, both of you would already be dead."

Jack nodded. "I trust Agent 321 here with my life, Lauren."

"And another thing," Lo grumbled. "Letters, numbers... how about a real name, bub?"

"I am a member of Her Majesty's Secret Service! We use letters and numbers to identify ourselves rather than our real names in order to protect our lives and those of our..."

"Blah, blah, blah, spill with the name, or I'm not going anywhere!"

"Just tell her your name before she makes a scene," stated Jack.

Agent 321 sighed. "Fine. My name is..."

* * *

Later, in the car...

"**HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!**"

Lo had been laughing hysterically for almost ten minutes now, as Agent 321 tried to keep his anger tempered since he was driving, and Jack was busy checking messages on his cell phones.

"**HA HA HA HA!** Your name is Ashleigh! Ashleigh? **HA HA HA!**"

Ashleigh - or rather, Agent 321 - looked over at Jack.

"Does she ever zip her yap?"

Jack replied. "You have to admit, that is a rather girly name."

"I cannot help that me mum and me dad wanted a girl, okay?"

Agent 321 did not want to endure Lo's laughter much longer, but he would have to, given they were stuck in traffic.

* * *

Eventually, they reached their destination, and it was not long before Jack, Ashleigh, and Lo were in the office of the head of the spy organization, A.

"Glad to see you're still among the living, Oh-Six-Seven."

A, who was a mature, gray-haired woman in her 60s, walked up to the group.

"Oh, you know it's takes more than a few mishaps to get the better of me," Jack replied.

"And I take it that this is..."

"Yes, ma'am. Lauren Ridgemount, heiress to the Ridgemount Resorts chain."

"I take it that you're A?" asked Lo, giving the woman the once-over with her eyes.

"Yes, I am A, the head of MI6, better known as Her Majesty's Secret Service."

"Well, I must say..."

Jack held his breath, expecting Lo to say something stupid. But...

"...I love that broach you're wearing. I wish I had something that pretty myself!"

Lo was referring to the blue sapphire broach that served as the top button on A's shirt.

"You have good taste, my dear. It's a one-of-a-kind heirloom that's been passed down in my family for generations!"

"It's pretty on you! It makes you look ten years younger!"

A giggled, to the surprise of her agents.

"I've been here for almost 20 years," 321 whispered to Jack, "and this is the first time I've seen her laugh at anything!"

A's face grew serious as she turned her attention to her men.

"Oh-six-seven and Three-two-one, don't you two have a meeting with One-nine-nine to get to?"

"Oh, yes," Jack said aloud. "We shall be going, then."

"For the time being, Miss Ridgemount, I'd like to debrief you on a few things. You'll be reunited with Oh-six-seven in due time."

With that, Jack left Lo in the safe arms of his superior. Besides, he needed to gear up for the mission ahead.

* * *

Some time later, Jack and Ashleigh were in the armory, picking out firearms and body armor. As they did that, Agent 199 was giving the pair their mission specs.

"Our latest intelligence indicates that Fargo Hope is either en route or likely has already arrived in Paris. He is scheduled to appear at a gala dinner to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of his premier European resort, Le Riche!"

"Kind of obvious name there," commented Jack. "And he's appearing despite the fact that he knows we're coming after him?"

"Well, to be frank, our mission to stop Hope is still very much under-the-radar. His shady business dealings are not public knowledge, and given that, he has enlisted the assistance of the local police force to work security at the event. Given the number of VIPs there, both on-the-level and illegals, that's obviously no surprise."

"So we're not walking in the front door, then? With all of this heat we'll be packing, we won't make it unscathed through their security checkpoints.

"We're coordinating with a man in French Intelligence to get you clearance. But he's working independent of the agency, so do your best to maintain a low profile. We have no extra resources to allocate to this mission, so if you two screw it up, there will be no one there to save your asses. Got it?"

"Yes, mum," chided Ashleigh.

Agent 199 continued with his briefing.

"The two of you will arrive first, and then we're in the process of arranging a special escort to bring in Miss Ridgemount."

"What?" Jack jumped in. "Why?"

"Our sources say Lauren's father will be attending this gala, and that Hope has apparently given him an ultimatum. He wants Ridgemount to surrender his empire in exchange for the safety of his daughter."

"But... doesn't he know that Lauren is safe and with us?"

"No. Mr. Ridgemount still believes that Miss Ridgemount is still Hope's captive. We need to make sure it stays that way until we're sure Hope is in the building."

"And we're using 'the princess' as bait to draw him out."

"Precisely."

"So let's say the plan works. How do we apprehend with all of that security around? Not to mention that Hope will also have members of the mafia there as well, working undercover. Especially De Luca."

"That will be up to you two to deal with."

"Great," remarked Ashleigh sarcastically. "Sounds like a fun way to spend a Saturday night!"

"As usual, yada yada yada, disavow knowledge, yada yada yada, death, yada yada yada."

"You always have a way with words, don't you?" chuckled Jack.

Agent 199 then tossed Jack a pair of keys.

"Don't wreck this one," he told him. "Mark 7s don't fall out of trees, you know."

"You know me... do whatever it takes to complete the mission."

Agent 199 sighed. "That's what I'm afraid of."

* * *

About an hour later, the aforementioned Mark 7's engine roared to life atop MI6 headquarters. Agent 321 was seen loading an unmarked suitcase into the helicopter's back seat, as an unnamed agent fiddled with the controls, prepping it for takeoff. Jack had his back turned to them, as his attention was turned towards the roof entrance, where A and Lo had just emerged from. Two other agents were also on the roof to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity nearby.

"I see you gave Lauren a gift," Jack said as they stopped in front of him and he pointed out the new black beret on Lo's head.

"Doesn't it look cute?" Lo asked, somewhat flirtatiously.

"Sure," he replied, without even thinking twice.

"Lo?" A interrupted.

"Yes?"

"As I told you, I'll have my specialist ready for you upon your arrival! Remember, be safe!"

"I will! Thanks for everything!"

With that, Lo headed for the copter. A took this opportunity to hand Jack a PDA, filled with more intel he would need for the mission.

"Remember, Oh-six-seven! If Hope succeeds in wrestling control of the Ridgemount Resort chain..."

"I know... the effects could be catastrophic to the global economy."

"Oh, and one more thing. Miss Lauren is only aware that she is going to confront Hope and that we're providing sufficient backup. For her safety, do NOT tell her that there is no backup, or that her Dad will be there. Doing either could jeopardize the mission!"

"Roger, A!"

He turned to get on the helicopter, but she grabbed him by the arm.

"One last thing... new intel just came in. Mr. Ridgemount is not traveling to Paris alone."

She pointed to a file on the PDA's desktop designed only as 'X.' Jack opened it and instantly understood what it meant based on who was in the photo inside.

"Do I have permission to..."

"Yes. But **ONLY** as a last resort. Understand?"

A closer look at the photo revealed that making the trip to attend the gala with Mr. Ridgemount... were Fin and Reef.

**To be continued...**

**Author's Notes:**  
Now that the final confrontation has pretty much been setup, all that's left is to let the fur fly! Don't miss the final chapter, in just a few weeks. Really! I'm ready to end this...


	9. City of Love? City of Finit!

**"Where on Earth is Lauren Ridgemount?"**  
**Story Written by Freedom Fighter**

You've waited long enough! Here's the final chapter, presented in its entirety with no cuts!

**Disclaimer:** The characters of 'Stoked' belong to Fresh TV, Inc., Teletoon, and Cartoon Network.

**-**  
**Chapter Nine - City of Love? City of Finit! (03.08.12)**  
**-**

Two bright spotlights illuminated the night sky of Paris, France. Down on street level, a large crowd of dignitaries, hotel moguls, and VIPs were arriving at the Centre Poisson. Security guards did their best to keep the paparazzi and other curious onlookers from getting into the building, or even stepping foot on the red carpet leading into it, as valets helped usher in the invited guests, whether they arrived by limo or of a luxury car of their own choosing. Most had their own drivers bring them in, but Jack had decided to drive in his own car, codenamed Cheetah.

Jack put the car in park by the curb, then he got out, along with Ashleigh, and the both of them were gussied up in tuxedos. He lobbed the keys gently at an approaching parking valet.

"Big tip if there aren't any scratches when I get back."

The valet caught the keys and replied, "Oui, oui!"

Jack joined up with his partner and then the two proceeded to head down the red carpet, side by side. They ignored all of the flash bulbs going off around them, and made their way inside, where a security checkpoint awaited. Once their invitations were checked and they were wanded with a handheld metal detector, the two were finally allowed into the main area to mingle with the other guests.

"Only a mega mogul like Hope would throw such an extravaganza like this just for a silly anniversary party," Jack noted aloud.

"If only it were just that," grumbled Ashleigh. "I'm gonna see if I can locate our inside man."

"And I'm going to see if Ridgemount is here. Gotta make sure the ruse stays in place until Hope can be taken out."

The two men then went their separate ways. Jack stayed with the crowd, heading towards the largest congregation of people, up on the second floor. Once there, he blended in easily. He began to scan the room, searching for Mr. Ridgemount. After a couple of minutes, he found his target...

Or, rather, targets, as he had found Mr. Ridgemount's traveling partners, Reef and Lo. He moved towards them, trying to get close enough to hear what they were saying, while simultaneously staying out of sight.

"Y'know," Reef said, though not clearly thanks to the number of cheese squares that he had in his mouth at this moment, "this Hope dude isn't all that bad, given this spread!"

"Focus!" growled Fin. "You're making a scene!"

"I'm not the only one."

Reef was right, as Fin pulled at the top of her strapless yellow dress, adjusting it for what had to be the fourth or fifth time that night already.

"I can't help it, alright? This thing is too snug **AND** it itches! Not to mention how thin it is! Ugh! It feels like I'm barely wearing anything!"

Reef smirked as he took a gander at Fin in her dress. But before he could say something sly, he pulled at the collar of his dress shirt, trying to scratch a place on his neck.

"I'm with you on the itching. Man, this blows!"

"Look! This scumbag, Hope, has to be holding Lo somewhere! If we can find and rescue her before Mr. Ridgemount is forced to sign over the deed to Surfer's Paradise and the rest of his empire, then we can stop the deal from happening! Not to mention the fact that we actually get to keep our jobs!"

"Yep! Gotcha!"

The two started to walk away, to begin their search.

"Stupid kids," Jack mumbled. "Gonna get themselves killed, that they are."

He was about to follow them when he heard a familiar voice in her ear.

"Jack? Jack, where are you?"

Jack lifted one hand up to his ear to respond.

"Lauren?"

He made his way back to the escalators, forgetting about Reef and Fin and turning his attention back to his top priority: Lo's safety.

"Are you alright, Lauren?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just goin' through security. Man, these guys are being thorough... **DOES IT LOOK LIKE I NEED A PAT-DOWN? IT'S A SIZE ONE, FYI!**"

Jack rushed down the escalator, and that was when he spotted Lo, who was getting a little confrontational with one of the guards. He ran over to stop her before she said something that would blow their cover.

"Look, mister, I don't know how they do things here in France, but unless you're intending to take me out on a date, nobody, and I mean, **NOBODY**, touches me there! Got it?"

"Lauren, there you are!" Jack exclaimed.

He pulled her behind him, and then turned to the guard to apologize.

"Sorry, she's with me."

Jack tugged Lo away, and the guard had no interest in giving chase, as he turned around and continued on to inspect the next person in line. Once he was out of hearing range...

"How many times I have told you **NOT** to make a scene?" Jack asked Lo.

"But he..."

"I don't want to hear it! C'mon, we've got work to do."

The two joined the ever-growing line of people waiting to use the up escalator. Jack took the moment to give Lo's outfit the once-over. She was wearing a golden-colored dress, which was held up on her shoulders by the tiniest of straps. It clung to her body closely, leaving little to the imagination. Thankfully, the bottom of the dress went down to top of her kneecaps and the top had a flat neckline. It was surprisingly modest.

"I'm impressed."

"What can I say?" Lo was boasting. "I'm a Ridgemount. I have to have class, after all."

* * *

Rinaldo De Luca entered the temporary dressing area, where his boss, Fargo Hope, was finishing up preparations for the gala. De Luca had a large contract in hand, about 30-40 pages thick, which he dropped right in Hope's lap as his hairdresser was busy putting the finishing touches on his do.

"It's all arranged just as you commanded," De Luca told him.

"Good." Hope smiled. "And Ridgemount?"

"He is in the building, sir. And he still believes that we have his little heiress."

"Good, good! Surfer's Paradise, as well as the entire Ridgemount Estate, will soon be mine! Mwa ha ha ha ha!"

* * *

"So, what's the plan?"

Lo had asked Jack a question, but he was too focused on scanning the crowd, keeping a lookout for anyone that might try to harm Lo.

"Like, hello? Jack!"

"Huh?" Jack finally responded. "Oh, yeah... we'll just wait for Hope to come to us. This is his shindig, after all."

"Seriously? That's your plan?"

"You have to remember that very few people know about Hope's dirty and underhanded business tactics! Taking action first will only make everyone here look on us unfavorably."

"But we're not the bad guys! He and his goons are!"

"I know. But rest assured, we know what we're doing. We're professionals, after all."

Suddenly, the noise in the room died down as all eyes turned to the stage set up at the far end of the floor, and it had three chairs and a table on it as well. A man in his mid-30s was walking up to the microphone to address the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Thank you for coming here tonight, to celebrate this momentous occasion..."

As he continued to talk, off to the side of the stage stood Fargo Hope, along with two bodyguards. He had a smile on his face as he spotted Mr. Ridgemount walking towards him, who was scowling.

"Where's Lauren?" he asked, sternly.

"You will see her **AFTER** you publicly sign over the deed to the entire Ridgemount Resorts chain," Hope told him.

Mr. Ridgemount mumbled something angrily under his breath.

"Did you say something, Ridgemount?"

He sighed. "No. Let's... let's just get this over with."

Hope nodded, then turned and climbed the steps up to the stage, just in time to hear the emcee finish his introduction, followed by a hearty round of applause. Hope grinned as he stepped toward the microphone. In the crowd, Lo growled in disgust upon seeing him.

"Merci, and thank you all for coming!" Hope said aloud. "Tonight, we are here to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the opening of Le Riche, the finest luxury resort in Europe!"

As he continued, Reef and Fin entered from the back of the room, with long looks on their faces after their search for Lo had turned up empty.

"But before we move onto the scheduled festivities, I'd like to make a big announcement. Tonight, the Fargo Hope Premium Resorts chain is proud to announce the addition of a new group of resort hotels to the family. These hotels are among the best in the Western Hemisphere, all of them situated in prime beach resort areas."

Lo was surprised at what she was hearing.

"Wait, did he say hotels? As in more than one?"

"And I couldn't be prouder than to welcome these new, high-class, five-star resorts to the chain. Tonight, my friends, we expand westward as I announce the acquisition of the world-famous Ridgemount Resorts chain!"

The crowd cheered, pleased to hear about the announcement. Lo, on the other hand...

"What? No... **NO!** The original offer was Surfer's Paradise, not the entire... Jack, do something!"

Jack tapped his ear to turn on his communicator.

"321, we've got a Code Orange. What's your ETA?"

He heard his partner agent reply. "T-minus 90."

Jack suddenly heard applause. Hope had introduced Mr. Ridgemount, and he was now walking across the stage, on his way to the table in the center.

"We don't **HAVE** 90! It's going down now!"

Jack then reached for Lo, to stop her from doing something stupid. Unfortunately, she had disappeared into the crowd. But...

"Out of my way! I'm **NOT** letting that snake steal what's rightfully going to be mine!"

...he could still hear her, as well as realize that it was fading as she got further away. That was because Lo was heading right for the stage.

"Forget Orange, we've got a Code Yellow. I repeat, Yellow!"

Jack went after Lo. Up on stage, a third, unaffiliated party had come up to take the seat in the center. He had with him the 30-40 page contract which, when signed by both parties, would make the transfer of ownership from Lo's father to Hope official. Upon sitting down, the third party turned to the very last page. Hope pulled a pen out of his breast pocket and he signed the document, right on the dotted line.

He then slid the contract and the pen across the table to Mr. Ridgemount, expecting him to do the same.

"Do it," Hope warned, "or else..."

Mr. Ridgemount picked up the pen and leaned forward. Hope rubbed his hands together in anticipation. The takeover was nearly complete.

"Daddy, **NO! DON'T SIGN IT!**"

Mr. Ridgemount stopped upon hearing his only daughter's voice. He turned to the crowd, which parted so that he could see Lo, who was still about six people or so from the stage. He was relieved to see that she was safe, and not in Hope's hands. Hope, on the other hand, was already motioning for the nearest guards to handle this unwanted interruption.

"This guy's a lowdown, good-for-nothing swindler who had me kidnapped and was willing to off me all just to get you to hand over the entire family business without fail. He is the worst kind of scum! Whatever you do, **DON'T** sign that contract!"

The two security guards reached Lo, and they grabbed her by the arms.

"Daddy!" Lo cried out.

Her father stood up and turned towards Hope to demand for her release. But before he could open his mouth, Hope already had a reason to not listen to it... by pulling out a handgun from inside his blazer and pointing it right at his head. The crowd gasped audibly in response, while the third party witness got up and ran off the stage.

"You will sign that document, Mr. Ridgemount. Or else!"

Suddenly, from the back of the room, about a dozen police officers rushed in, charging for the stage from both sides. While doing so, though, the sound of a single shot being fired could be heard. A woman in the room screamed as one of the officers, just as he had passed by her, fell to the ground, the victim of a bullet to the head. Things became panicked as the crowd started rushing for the exits, and more shots began to be fired. Two officers on the opposite side of the room were taken out before the remaining men started ducking for cover.

Meanwhile, of their own volition, the two men who had a hold of Lo started heading towards a hallway off to the side. Seeing this, Jack pushed his way through the crowd to try and cut them off. But he was not the only one spurred to action, as Reef and Fin were moving that way as well.

"Are you **MAD**, woman?" asked Reef. "You're gonna get me killed!"

"If I'm so crazy," Fin shot back, "then why aren't you running away like everyone else?"

"Because somebody has to protect you!"

Gunfire then began to exchange between the French police and the Italian mafia employed by Hope. A bullet whizzed by Reef's right ear, and in fright he dove for the floor. Fin squatted down to him, as he curled up with his knees against his chest and started shaking.

"Sure... **YOU'LL** protect **ME**."

"This is no laughing matter!"

"Look, scaredy puss, just keep low and out of sight! Now, come on! Daddy's little princess isn't gonna save herself."

Not that Lo was not willing to try, as she tried to wriggle out of her captors' grip. Her father was not having much luck, either, as Hope was forcing Mr. Ridgemount towards the exit as well. But...

"Cela est loin assez! [That's far enough!]"

The man was holding a gun in one hand, which he had pointed at Hope's head, while he used his other hand to look for his ID badge. Finding it, he flashed it, showing that he was the French Intelligence agent that Ashleigh had gone off to find. The agent started to put it away, but he became startled when he felt the barrel of a pistol press into his left temple. That firearm was being held by De Luca, who had come out to see his men in a firefight with the local law enforcement and Hope in a bit of trouble.

"You were saying?"

"I say you're sloppy," stated Ashleigh, appearing behind De Luca and pressing his gun into the back of the bigger man's head. "Now, be a good mafia don and hand over the gun before this has to get messy."

"Drop it, spy!" exclaimed Hope. "Or else Ridgemount gets it!"

"Si vous le tirez, alors je **VOUS** tire! [If you shoot him, then I shoot **YOU**!]" declared the French agent.

"Do it, and it's au revoir," threatened De Luca.

"I remind you that I have a license to kill," growled Ashleigh. "And I'm not afraid to use it."

"**WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?**" yelled Mr. Ridgemount. "Since when does violence solve **ANYTHING**?"

As they thought of an answer, Jack rushed in out of nowhere and tackled Hope to the ground. Upon impact, Hope's gun fell out of his hand, and then he continued rolling right off the far end of the stage. De Luca pulled his guy away from the French agent and aimed it at Jack's head. But as he pulled the trigger, Ashleigh reached in and pulled the arm down just enough for the bullet to land short. Ashleigh and the French agent then teamed up and jumped on De Luca, hoping to take the Italian man down.

But upon seeing their boss in trouble, the two men pulling Lo away stopped under a doorway off to the side. They forgot about their assigned task and rushed to help their don. That turned out to be a bad decision, as without warning, the room was suddenly rushed by a combination of the French Intelligence and the local police. Even though the mafia had superior firepower and had nearly wiped out the initial batch of cops from the room, they were now finding themselves completely outnumber by a ratio of three to one. A few mafia men continued to fight, but they were taken down in a snap, and the remainder of the group quickly tossed their weapons aside and rose their arms up in surrender.

The officers surrounded everyone, including De Luca and his two men, Jack and Ashleigh, their French accomplice, Mr. Ridgemount, and even Reef and Fin.

"Hands off!" shouted Fin, as one officer tried to put handcuffs on her.

"Hey!" Reef exclaimed. "We didn't even do anything!"

One of the French Intelligence agents walked over to the man who was helping Jack and Ashleigh, and demanded an explanation for acting without authorization. After a few minutes, the head agent's look of displeasure grew and grew. Still, he motioned over one of the lead officers on the scene, and after talking for a minute, that officer signaled to some of his men to uncuff a few people. The restrains were immediately removed from Jack, Ashleigh, and their French accomplice, as well as Mr. Ridgemount. The police then began moving all of those still handcuffed to one side of the room, including...

"What about us?" questioned Reef.

"We're innocent!" claimed Fin.

Mr. Ridgemount marched over to the head French agent.

"Those two are with me! Release them! They have nothing to do with Hope and his rubbish!"

Jack nodded to the French agents, who complied with their request. The two teens were freed, and they ran over to the others.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" complimented Reef, wrapping his arms around Mr. Ridgemount in glee.

Mr. Ridgemount pried Reef from him, not happy with the teenager's display of affection. Fin, meanwhile, walked over to Jack.

"I still don't approve of how you whisked Lo away," she growled, "but Emma and the guys were right. You're not such a bad guy after all."

"I appreciate it, lass. Though I suppose I owe all of you an explanation. As well as French Intelligence and the local police."

Ashleigh sighed. "This is gonna be a long night."

"I'm not willing to forgive you so easily," barked Mr. Ridgemount as he confronted Jack. "For starters, **WHERE'S LAUREN?**"

Jack quickly scanned the room. To his surprise, Lo was nowhere to be found.

"Jack," Ashleigh interrupted, "hate to say it, but Fargo Hope's MIA as well!"

"Wait, **WHAT?**"

* * *

In the parking lot, a sportscar roared to life as the driver started the engine. Fargo Hope was behind the wheel, and he was itching for a getaway. Up at the front entrance, Jack emerged from the building, racing past the few officers and the valet workers congregated there. He ran to the large keyring box holding all the keys to the cars the valets had parked during the night. It only took him seconds to figure out what Hope had stolen as his getaway vehicle.

"Son of a..."

Sure enough, he turned left and saw the Cheetah screeching around the corner, planning to speed in front of the building on his way to the only exit of the parking lot.

"You're not escaping," growled Jack. "Not with **HER**."

He pulled out a spare key fob he had in his pocket. He pressed a button, and suddenly a communications link with the car's computer activated.

"C-3, override command. Passcode B-0-6-7."

The computer's female voice responded through the fob's speaker. "Override confirmed."

"Activate emergency protocol. Command Delta!"

The Cheetah raced by at what had to be about 90 kph, and climbing. Then, without warning, Fargo Hope flew out of the top of the car, as well as the seat he was in, as he had been ejected from the vehicle.

"That's not Del- **LAUREN!**"

With no driver, the car continued driving forward. The right side hopped up onto the sidewalk, hit a lamppost, and then slammed right into the trunk of a large tree just feet from the lot's exit. The car immediately burst into flames as the engine compartment was completely crushed upon impact and had been pushed into the passenger compartment. Jack was frozen in horror, unable to do anything as the car quickly became engulfed in flames. That was quickly followed by a small explosion, as the gas tank had ignited.

"No. No, no, no, no... **NOOOOOOOOOOO!**"

He screamed in anguish, with arms raised towards the heavens, over letting such a tragic event occur on his watch.

"**GEEZ!** Overdramatic, much?"

Jack stopped screaming, turned to his right, and found... Lo standing right next to her, safe and sound.

"**LO!** But how did..."

Ashleigh walked up and answered the question for her.

"After those grunts let her go, she actually did something smart and found a hiding place. We found her on the opposite end of the floor, hiding behind a statue. Poorly, I may add."

"Hey! I'll have you know I was **NEVER** the first one found in hide-and-seek as a child."

"So you **WEREN'T** in the car? Thank goodness!"

He breathed a sigh of relief, then wrapped his arms around Lo in an embracing hug. One that lasted all of one second, when Lo's father made it known he was present by coughing. Threateningly. Jack quickly let go.

"199's not gonna like what's left of that," noted Ashleigh as he pointed to the still-burning wreckage.

"Blame the computer," Jack told him. "Command Delta was supposed to kill the engine, not activate the driver-side ejection seat."

"Speaking of... if it ejected Hope from the car, where is he?"

They got their answer a few seconds later...

"**AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH...**"

**CRASH!**

Fargo Hope landed in the parking lot on another car, still strapped to the car seat, back first. He groaned in pain before, out of the top of the seat, the parachute deployed itself. Far, far too late to be of any use.

"See?" Jack pointed out, as policemen ran past him and over to Hope. "Blame the computer."

Meanwhile, Lo was on the receiving end of another hug, one which her father let occur this time because it was coming from Fin.

"Oh, man, am I glad to see you in one piece!"

"Finally, this is over!" Reef declared. "That was **WAY** too much chasing you around the world for my own good!"

"Thanks, guys! I'm just relieved that I can finally put this all behind me and finally, truly, finally go home!"

"Lo is right," Jack thought. "Hope has been exposed for the fraud he is, De Luca and his mafia goons are gonna get the book thrown at 'em, and Lo is safe and sound. She's finally going to go home. Go... home."

Jack sighed as he watched Lo continue to celebrate her reunion with her father and her friends, wondering if this truly was the end of the road for their partnership.

* * *

Two days later, at Charles de Gaulle International Airport...

The Ridgemount family private jet was ready to be boarded. Reef and Fin raced for the gate, both attempting to get in first in order to claim the window seat. Lo and her father casually walked after them, but Lo stopped when she heard a familiar voice call out to her.

"Lauren! Wait a minute!"

She turned around and saw that it was Jack, running to catch her before she left for home.

"May I have a minute, Daddy?" Lo asked, sweetly glancing up at her father.

"Alright. See you on the plane."

But before leaving the two alone, Mr. Ridgemount shot a warning glare at Jack.

"If she's not sitting next to me in sixty seconds, I know who's to blame! And remember, I've **MET** your boss."

With that, he exited. Lo giggled, then apologized for him.

"Sorry 'bout that. You know how it is..."

"Perhaps it was a mistake to have A do the debriefing after all. Man, he's got quite the glare."

"What do you expect? You 'kidnapped' me, remember?"

"I remember. So... come to wish little ol' me aduel?"

Jack laughed. "I'm pretty sure you mean 'adieu.'"

Lo playfully punched Jack in the chest. "Oh, you."

"But, seriously. Miss Ridgemount... Lauren... Lo. We've been through a lot this past week or so. And it's made me think. This originally began with me coming on to you in order to get you to come along with me on this mission. At first, I was doing it because it was part of my job, and you really seemed genuinely into me. But then, the other night, in Venice, after I came back to check on you after your 'emergency'... despite how mad I was about that, I started feeling different about you. You know, yes, my job is to protect you, but, suddenly... I began caring about you. As more than a person. As, well, how do girls like you put it, 'the one?'"

Lo hushed him right there and then by raising a finger and placing it on my lips.

"Oh, I think it's cute you're gonna miss me, Jack. But, truthfully, I couldn't. You being a spy is great and all... but it's too dangerous! Plus, what's the point of traveling the world if you can stay around long enough to go shopping! And, not to mention, it's been far, far too long since I've caught a wave! I'm a surfer chick, babe! And there's me inheriting the family business at some point, of course. Your line of work... just not good for my health! Or my tan."

Jack sighed. "I see."

Lo felt sorry for her savior, protector, guardian, and one-time suitor. She got up on her tiptoes and gave Jack a farewell kiss on the cheek.

"You're always welcome to drop by the resort if you're in the area on of your missions. Who knows? Maybe I'll teach you a thing or two about hanging ten!"

With that, Lo ran off, waving goodbye before disappearing into the tunnel leading to her family's jet. Once on board, she took her seat next to her father.

"Pilot?" Mr. Ridgemount said, motioning to the front of the cabin, "Let's go home!"

Lo smiled as she hugged her dad, glad to finally be reunited and be out of danger. The threat of corporate takeover from hotel mogul Fargo Hope had been dealt with, and thus, things could finally get back to normal.

"So," Lo shot a suggestive look up at her dad, "after all that's happened, perhaps you'd let me back up in the penthouse so I can live under your protective watch?"

But the frown on her father's face indicated that he was thinking about that.

"If anything, this whole fiasco has taught me you're not observant enough to realize you're being played for a fool! You still have a lot to learn, young lady! Back in the penthouse, preposterous!"

Lo huffed, folding her arms over her chest and grumbling unhappily. Across the aisle, Fin let out a chuckle.

"Looks like everything's back to normal."

"All except for Lo, that is."

"I can hear you!" yelled Lo.

Reef and Fin laughed as the Ridgemount private jet taxied onto the nearest runway and took off, heading home. For Lo, it was not the happiest ending, per se, but at least she knew she was one last plane ride from finally returning to her ethic-learning summer.

And, for now, she did not want it any other way.

**The End**

**Author's Notes:**  
Eighteen months later, a story that was originally planned to be 13 chapters long, was almost completely cut down to just four, and finally ended up nearly in the middle of those two numbers with nine installments, "Where on Earth is Lauren Ridgemount?" is finally done!

It's been a long road, but I'm just glad to have this completed at long last. This was supposed to have been finished up before last summer's "Fresh Challenge: Vets vs. Groms," and more than half a year after that ended, this tale reached its end at long last.

Since the first chapter was released, I've seen the entirety of the second season of "Stoked" in the process. Suffice to say, things changed a lot in that, though many people would agree 'not' for the better... but hey, this is still a friendly reminder as to how the show was near the end of the first season.

That being said, there probably won't be any more "Stoked" stories from me. But that doesn't mean they're gone for good. Case in point, crossovers with other shows are still possible - including the long-delayed Reunion Special from the aforementioned "Fresh Challenge," coming later this month! So who knows what's in the future?

Anyway, I'll end with the usual. If you read all the way through to the end and you liked what you said, please leave a review! I'd really appreciate it! And don't forget to check out my other works, too.

With that said, see you next time, folks!


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